Memories of Bysorrn
by MassHysteric
Summary: A series of stories/snapshots of ten year old Cadrina Ellen Shepard and her family. Stationed on the turian world of Bysorrn, Cadrina remembers this time fondly, despite some difficulties, as it was the one time she was able to be with both her parents.
1. Wazaat the Shepard Kid?

Memories of Bysorrn: Wazaat the Shepard Kid?

_Cadrina Ellen Shepard never claimed to be the best driver in the galaxy. But in her youth, there was a mode of transport she was quite good at using…_

It was a clear early morning at Palturma Beach on the planet Bysorrn as children from across the community gathered at the local park to play in the sand pits, swings and obstacle courses. Their families were with them, watching and participating in their revels. The human summer season was just beginning. The skate area was populated with human and non-human youngsters comparing and showing off their rides. Pogo rods, orb boards, skate blades and free-wheel bikes were put through their paces as the human children of Systems Alliance personnel tried to assert their claim over territory only to be matched by their non-human counterparts. The competition was fierce but civil. They stood and watched a dark skinned human boy as he was about to go into another trick maneuver on his bike. Suddenly, a blond and blue streak blew past them, startling the boy into nearly losing his balance. Everyone's attention turned towards the nearby skate pit. There were sounds of pressurized air blasts coming from within, not the usual rattles, rumbles and scrapes that come from wheels.

The turian and salarian children were curious; the human children stared in amazement. The blond girl that passed by was standing on top of what looked like a flat, bone-shaped, black and white hovering board as she scooted up and down along the sides of the con-plast skate pit.

"Who was that?" asked a boy.

"Is that what I think it is?" commented another youth as she looked on the hovering board with envious eyes.

The boy on the bike studied the girl on the board intently. She was fair skinned and wearing blue jeans, a metallic blue jacket with some kind of black padded harness over it, a helmet and protective shoulder and knee pads. The boy recognized her as the girl who moved in just up the road from his house. Her father was assigned to the coast guard with the turians while her mother was stationed at the local precinct.

"I know that girl!" he announced "My dad's posted with her mom down at the police station!"

"Yeah, but who is she?" asked a young turian.

"Shepard, that's her name. Cadrina Shepard."

Cadrina popped up over the edge of the skate pit closest to the children, her knees bent in, holding her hovering board with both hands as she took to the air. The sound of air coming from the fans inside her board hissed and changed in pitch as she came back down to earth. She spun around to face the pit again and released her grip, stood and braced for contact with the ground. She quickly disappeared back behind the pit's edge once again.

"That's the Shepard kid?"

The envious girl was able to get a good look at Cadrina's board as she passed.

"Woooow, she's on a Skyboard!" the girl fawned "Her family must have some serious creds!"

The non-humans seemed impressed by this unusual device's ability to make use of anti-gravity mass effect fields on such a small scale, yet another example of human ingenuity and engineering. The human children knew all about the Zephyr AGX-02 Skyboard. Created by a sky diver who was experimenting with mini turbo prop fans trying to bring the experience of sky surfing closer to the ground, he was getting nowhere until he discovered the wonders of element zero and its ability to emit and change gravity fields. The Skyboard became the must-have for all earthbound skateboarding enthusiasts despite its somewhat prohibitive cost, coming close to that of a used aircar.

The children would be truly envious if they were to learn that Cadrina's late grandmother was best friends with the sky diver and, on her eighth birthday, presented her with the very first production Skyboard off the assembly line. Cadrina practiced riding her Skyboard for two years, picking up tricks from fellow riders. It was her favorite way of getting around and found it was helpful in breaking the ice with new children. Aware that she had the attention of everyone in the skate area, Cadrina began to show off the results of all the practice she put in.

Cadrina accelerated to one corner of the skate pit, picking up speed. She then went up the incline and flipped over above the edge. Secured in her Skyboard's white foot sockets, she reached down and grabbed the edge going into a full handstand. Before gravity pulled her back down again, she proceeded to pivot about the edge on her hands twice, tucking in her knees and bring her Skyboard back into contact with the skate pit surface.

"Whoah, didja see that?" exclaimed the boy on the bike.

Cadrina's newfound fans were enthralled. Even the stoic turian boy's jaw began to slacken as he watched. Cadrina guided herself to the far end of the skate pit then put in another burst of acceleration. She glided down the length of the pit and up over the edge at the opposite end. She then reached down, grabbed a handle on the front edge of her Skyboard and pulled, unfurling a black tensor guide strap. Cadrina bounced slightly as she hit the ground outside the pit, her board compensating for proximity. She now glided around the periphery of the skate pit, steering herself with the guide strap.

"She's heading towards the boardwalk!" a salarian girl pointed out.

The small group of children scampered along to keep up with Cadrina, wondering what she would do next. Cadrina left the skate area and sped along towards a series of stools lining the edge of a walkway overlooking the ocean. Making sure no one was seated, she then jumped up on to one of the stools and began hopping on each one down the line using the back end of her Skyboard before hitting the ground again.

Cadrina leaned and swerved to avoid pedestrians as she went down the boardwalk. A large, wide divider wall was coming up. Cadrina noted how the base of the wall had a curved slope she could take advantage of. Once the way was clear, Cadrina engaged her Skyboard's turbo fans and headed straight for the wall. She went up its side until she was several feet in the air. And before coming down, she disengaged her foot from the front end of her board and passed the tensor strap around behind her back and to the front, her board pivoting on its rear foot socket. Cadrina's foot snapped back into the front socket as she was groundside once more. The children couldn't keep up with the avid Skyboarder and allowed her to gain distance on them. They saw her cut across the grass on to another walkway further inland.

Cadrina scooted down the walkway, content that she would shortly have some new friends from the group of admirers and was now in the mood for a bit of mischief. She looked ahead and saw a high hilltop; there were no people along the route. Cadrina grinned as she knelt down, grabbed and extended the rear tensor strap on her Skyboard. She stood upright and pivoted to face forward, her board's microcomputer adjusting to its new orientation. Certain that she wouldn't run into anyone, Cadrina squeezed the tensor strap handles tightly, leaned forwards and pressed a button on the handle on her right hand. The Skyboard let out a loud blast of air as Cadrina rocketed towards the hill faster than she had gone in all of her previous stunts. She hit the bottom of the hill and swiftly made her way to the top. Just as she was about to reach the summit Cadrina bent down and jumped, using her Skyboard's fans for an added boost. She drew her knees up to her chest, still holding the tensor straps that partially retracted. Her maneuvers culminated in a 720-degree backflip over the hilltop. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Cadrina in that moment she was airborne. As she went into her second flip, she saw that there was one person walking underneath her, looking straight up at her in surprise. Caught up in the moment, she crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out to one side of her mouth in response before she landed.

Cadrina glided along the sidewalk facing forwards still, steering with the straps. At one point, she hopped up on to the railing on the side of the sidewalk and pirouetted along its length to avoid some people, the Skyboard's fans alternating as they came near the railing. She came down and then moved to the edge of the road. Cadrina could smell the ocean air and recalled that this road passed by a café on the beach. She was heading there to hang out and see if she could see her father passing by while on his rounds. The road ahead dipped downwards. Cadrina stood taught as she proceeded down the hill and picked up speed. Down at the bottom was a parked air car. The café was just behind it. The few people nearby stopped in place and stared as they saw Cadrina heading right for the aircar. A couple called out to her, warning her of the danger. But she looked determined as she leaned forward on her Skyboard. Just as it looked as if Cadrina would crash into it, she suddenly jumped up several feet over, standing and spinning in midair like a top. The Skyboard's fans gave off one more blast as they slowed her spin and descent, landing her safely on the other side. The onlookers gave a sigh of relief.

Cadrina powered down her board and unhooked her feet from the sockets while still holding on to the strap handles. She pushed release buttons on the handles and the Skyboard was raised into the air as the straps retracted. With minimal effort, she then folded the Skyboard in half until the fan exposures touched and locked. She swung the folded board behind her using its handles, the magnets on her harness caught it, spun it into position and secured it in place with another self-locking mechanism. She shuffled a bit as she accustomed herself to standing on steady ground and wearing a bit of extra weight on her back. As she began to turn about, one onlooker on a bike called out to her.

"Shepard!"

Cadrina looked over to him. It was the boy from the park; he had secretly followed the rest of the way. He had a stunned look on his face.

"…you are like… amazing!"

Cadrina squinted happily. "Thanks!" she answered as she turned and walked towards the beachside café.

END

Author's Thoughts and Notes:

I had imagined some kind of chase/riding scene for years to a piece of music by Larry Fast (Synergy): the _Phobos_ part of _Deimos and Phobos Go to Mars_ from his album _Cords_. Listening to this music again while thinking up a high-tech ride for ten year old Cadrina Shepard to use inspired this little action piece. If you decide to listen to this song as a soundtrack to the story, it begins just as Cadrina first passes the other kids.

Since writing _First Contact_, I've had a flood of story ideas about Cadrina Shepard and her early years with her family that I envisioned as an anime series - I'll write some of them up as I can get chances to. Keep sending in your reviews/comments!


	2. Whom Shepards Guard

Memories of Bysorrn: Whom Shepards Guard

_The Shepard family has been stationed on the turian-controlled planet of Bysorrn with several other Systems Alliance families as part of an interspecies exchange program in the year 2164. It is the hope of the Alliance that assistance with local law enforcement and rescue operations there will increase humanity's appeal to the Council in its bid for an embassy on the Citadel. This hope is about to be put to its first test…_

It was a new experience for Cadrina Shepard as she settled into her assigned house at Palturma Beach. In the past, she alternated with her parents Hannah and Dylan as each was rotated in and out of active duty. Their schedules were now arranged such that they would both be back home by evening as if they were working a nine-to-six job. They could spend more time than ever with their daughter and with each other. For the first time in their lives, Cadrina and her parents could live almost as if they were an ordinary family.

Cadrina headed down to the beach one afternoon with her friend Steven, who belonged to a vid game designer extranet site she was also a member of. He and his family were glad to see her, they were uneasy about living in the midst of a multitude of non-humans, finding it strange that even they indulged in pastimes they believed were exclusive to humans. Turians, salarians and asari were out dressed for the beach, either swimming, walking along the pinkish sand or stretched out on blankets to take in the sun. Seated on their own blanket with parasol deployed and refreshments laid out, Cadrina pointed out to Steven and his family a couple of quarians setting out on a hovercraft, possibly to go diving and investigate the elaborate coral reefs that were one of the main attractions in the area. She then saw a familiar face walking along the shore. It was a tall, bearded man wearing a white shirt and shorts with a black Systems Alliance logo on the right sleeve.

"HEY, DAD!" Cadrina called out to him and waved. Dylan took notice and waved back to his daughter.

"He's working – leave him alone!" chided Steven as Cadrina stood up.

"I'll only be a minute…" Cadrina turned to face Steven's parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Hanol?"

"We'll be right here," said Steven's father.

"'kay – thanks!" Cadrina bounced slightly as she answered.

She turned in her father's direction and was about to head out when Steven teased

"You are such a Daddy's Girl!"

Cadrina stuck out her tongue at Steven and then ran off to join her father.

"You know, you could show me a little more affection yourself," Steven's mother commented. "I don't get much time with you, either."

"Dad, who is this woman?" Steven joked.

His mother responded by grabbing her son and playfully wrestling him down on to the blanket. Steven protested loudly. "I was kidding! I was kidding, Mom! Stop!"

Dylan stood in place and waited for his daughter to run up to him. "Hey, Cady!" he said as his daughter gave him a quick hug. "Enjoying yourself out here?"

"Yeah – it's a little weird, though" answered Cadrina "But it's a good weird! The turians keep saying they're not like us, but they love the beach as much as we do!" Remembering that her father was still on duty, she began to start back towards Steven's spot on the beach. "Just wanted to say hello…"

Dylan took her hand. "You can stick around a minute. I just need to keep my eyes peeled for trouble."

Dylan resumed walking, Cadrina following beside him. He looked out to the purplish blue sea dotted with non-human swimmers, boaters and skimmers. "Yep, I haven't met anyone yet who didn't like splashing around in the water… aside from Captain Madison's dog!"

"I thought you were gonna be on patrol by boat," Cadrina commented as she scanned the shoreline with her father.

"They decided to start me out as a lifeguard. Get to know the people, get them used to having humans around – makes sense."

As he finished his statement, Cadrina saw that indeed they were being noticed by beachgoers, but not all the attention was positive. A few turians turned or shook their heads in disapproval. It had been a few years since the Relay 314 Incident. Humans and turians since then had been at peace, but an uneasy one. Cadrina could not help but be a little concerned.

"Everyone just needs a little time," said Dylan, continuing to monitor the shoreline.

A little further along the way, an asari was looking out to the ocean with binoculars. She was several months pregnant and was wearing a translucent white robe over her swimsuit. Dylan slowly closed in on her with his daughter in tow. The asari put down her binoculars and noticed his lifeguard's attire.

"My husband, the aspiring sailor," she said, her head nodding in the direction of the tides.

Dylan faced the ocean and unclipped his own binoculars from his belt. He zoomed in on a small white rowboat with a salarian and an asari child on board. The salarian was paddling awkwardly to shore against increasingly choppy waters; the young asari, who had the appearance of a human five year old, was trying to steady herself in her seat.

"It's getting a little rough out there," Dylan commented.

"He –says- he can handle it." The asari woman raised a hand to the right side of her head. "Dear, I have an officer with me now. I'm going to have him call for a pickup."

She stood silently as she heard her husband, the salarian's reply. She looked through her binoculars again.

"Well, I can see you're doing a fabulous job making your way back! Just admit you're not the nautical genius you claim to b – OH, GODDESS!"

Dylan quickly looked through his binoculars again. A freak wave had come up suddenly and overturned the boat, toppling father and child into the water. Dylan activated his comset earpiece as he started towards the water.

"This is Shepard at Zone 3! I have two down past the boundary – I need a craft dispatched to coordinates X307, Y58!"

As Dylan swam out to where the boat went down, passerby began to gather near the panicked asari and Cadrina. They could just make out two figures in distress off in the distance. The salarian had his child in one arm but had difficulty staying afloat. Dylan stopped momentarily to flag down a turian civilian on a jet craft for an assist only to be passed by and then continued to swim further. The homing beacon on his omni-tool was activated. There wasn't much time left; the salarian and his daughter were starting to succumb. Even if Dylan could reach them, he could not save them both without some type of craft this far out. The nearest one coming to his aid was still minutes away. Dylan then heard what sounded like drafts of air growing louder as he swam. Alternating air blasts growing closer. He looked up to see a blond girl hovering in the air wearing a dark blue bathing suit kneeling down to hand him a black strap with a handle on its end.

"Grab on!" shouted Cadrina from her Skyboard - she had run back to retrieve it when she came to the same realizations her father did. For an instant Dylan wanted to scold her for putting her life at risk. But he remembered the present crisis and relented, also realizing that he was partially to blame for raising her to be mindful of others and to always help when she could. He grabbed the handle from her and held on tightly as she engaged the board's fans. Cadrina quickly sped towards the salarian, careful to stay above the waves that threatened to wash into her board and tapping furiously on her own omni-tool. The salarian was going under just as Cadrina and Dylan arrived. She knelt down and extended a strap from the other end of her Skyboard and held on as she jumped into the water to help her father. Together they managed to secure the victims: Dylan held the salarian, the asari child was with Cadrina. Now they needed to get back to shore quickly if there was any hope of reviving them.

Cadrina made sure that her father was ready and then pulled down on her strap until her face was just by her omni-tool on her left forearm. She tapped on it with her chin, lighting up the device. "GO!" she shouted and her Skyboard roared to life, dragging her and her father along at its highest speed. Swimmers cleared out of their path as they approached land. Dylan and Cadrina tensed and strained with the weight of their charges. Upon hitting the beach, the Skyboard powered off and ditched into the sand. Spectators gathered as Dylan and Cadrina dragged and laid the victims down further inland out of the water's reach. The asari mother fell to her knees by her husband and daughter, crying and praying that they were not lost to her, hoping that the two human strangers could do something to bring them back.

Dylan attended numerous training sessions on cross-species medicine during his last posting at a general hospital on the planet Ergiel. Cadrina had begged her father if she could accompany him to some of these sessions on her days off from classes, wanting both to spend more time with him and to try to follow his example as a rescue technician. After some deliberation, he convinced the hospital staff to allow her to take the final seminar with him on manual resuscitation techniques, citing that human children were sometimes encouraged to learn basic first aid which included learning such maneuvers. The other students found it unusual to have someone over half their age in their class but with the encouragement and patient tutelage of the instructor, father and daughter passed and received certification.

Dylan tilted the salarian's head back to open his airway, feeling for breath but finding none. The salarian's chest was not moving. Dylan used the fingers of one hand to seal up the wide nostrils and used his other to purse the salarian's lips. He then formed a tight seal around them with his own lips and blew forcefully into the salarian's mouth twice. Afterwards, Dylan felt along the midpoint of the salarian's right shoulder and neck. "No pulse," he muttered. He placed his hands over the salarian's chest and began pushing in and upward on his breastplate, as was prescribed for salarian physiology.

As Dylan worked, Cadrina had performed similar actions on the asari child. She felt along the child's neck and found a spot that throbbed faintly. "She's still got a pulse!" she declared.

"Careful, she's smaller than you," Dylan reminded her and continued applying compressions to the salarian's chest.

Cadrina pushed down repeatedly on the young asari's chest, careful not to use excessive force as her father advised. She then held the asari child's head in her hands, pinching the nose shut and opening the mouth. Cadrina blew into her mouth with a half breath, turning her face to one side to feel for an exhale. No breath, not even any movement in the chest. Cadrina repeated her last actions. Still, there was no response.

Dylan's efforts finally managed to bring the salarian around. He coughed, shuddered and slowly opened his eyes. The crowd about him sighed with some relief. His wife reached over to him as he managed to speak.

"Uhhgh… Oja-rali…Oja…" Regaining consciousness, he suddenly remembered the boat overturning. "OJA!" he cried out and struggled to get on his feet only to be restrained by Dylan.

"Easy there," he consoled.

The salarian's head darted about in a panic. "Where's Oja?"

He looked to his left and saw his daughter lying prone and motionless on the sand, a human girl hunched over her. He stretched an arm out to his daughter.

"No - what is she doing to her?"

His wife held him as Dylan talked him down. "It's okay, it's all right. She's helping her to breathe…"

Cadrina was on her fifth round of rescue breathing and chest compressions. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she tried to revive Oja. Outwardly, Cadrina was centered and composed, but inside she was growing despondent. She wondered if she was doing anything wrong. Was she applying too little pressure? Were her breaths too weak? What if she couldn't save the girl? What would her father think of her? What would the girl's parents think of her? A voice grew louder in Cadrina's mind, pleading with the asari to wake up.

_Please breathe, please breathe, please breathe, please breathe…_

Cadrina blew into the girl's mouth again. _Please breathe!_

Oja suddenly coughed up water. Cadrina jerked her head away, spitting out the bit that got into her mouth and then helped the asari clear out bits from her mouth.

"That's it - breathe!" Cadrina encouraged as she held Oja. "Breathe!"

Oja turned and spit up more water, coughing violently. She sobbed groggily "…daddee…"

"Oja!" cried her mother. The crowd cheered and applauded as the salarian's family shuffled over to lift up and hold their daughter. Oja hugged her father, coughing, sobbing but out of danger. The asari mother embraced them both, kissing them and offering a muted prayer of gratitude.

Dylan was still kneeling in the sand, relived that the family was alive and well. He looked across to his daughter. Cadrina was still dripping wet with a hand on her chest and was looking down away from everyone at the sand, quivering as she breathed. Dylan remained in his spot and just stared at Cadrina. He had no words. He didn't know if he wanted to burst into tears or shout out for joy with the pride he felt for his little girl.

Medical techs soon arrived to attend to the two families. They were all given blankets to dry off and get warm and were escorted to separate medivac vehicles to be brought in to the nearest hospital for evaluation and treatment. The crowd began to disperse as the vehicles spun up and glided away. Steven jogged over to Cadrina's Skyboard and fished it out of its ditch. He did his best to shake out the sand, but it did not look like it would take flight again anytime soon. His family caught up to him and watched the medivacs disappear behind the hills. He cradled his friend's board, shook his head and gave a knowing smirk.

_Daddy's little girl_, he thought.

Dylan and Cadrina sat together in their compartment, swaying as the medivac steered towards the hospital. Besides the cold of the waters, the techs attending them were concerned that they may have picked up bacteria or viruses. They had only been planetside a little more than a week and their initial inoculations may not have fully immunized them as of yet. This thought was the furthest thing from father and daughter as they looked on each other with profound admiration. Dylan had saved yet another life. Cadrina had just saved her first. She cupped her father's knee in her hand.

"Good job, Dad…" she breathed.

Dylan placed his hand over hers and smiled. "Right back at ya, partner…"

At the hospital that evening, the doctors determined that no permanent harm was done but wanted to keep the families overnight for observation. Hannah Shepard stopped in to check on her family. She was still wearing her police uniform and vest and had brought in a change of clothes for them. She was directed to a room where she found Dylan and Cadrina seated on a mattress dressed in hospital gowns.

"How are my two heroes?" she asked as she hugged them each in turn.

"Drying off and taking meds," answered Dylan "But we're fine."

"How much more of that stuff do we have to drink, Dad?" Cadrina grimaced as she asked her father "It smelled like puke!"

"Two more doses, honey. We're not acclimatized to the planet just yet."

Hannah placed a hand on Cadrina's shoulder. "Cmon, you're a tough kid! You can handle it!" she added.

Dylan leaned over to Cadrina "…at least it's not as bad as your mom's cooking…"

She and her father snickered while Hannah grabbed a nearby pillow and swatted at them.

"My cooking is… not … that …bad…. Dyl!" she panted as she swung at her husband and daughter, still laughing as they blocked her strikes. A turian nurse then appeared at the door, interrupting their play.

"Dylan and Cadrina Shepard?" she asked. Dylan nodded in acknowledgement.

"The Nocris patients have been asking to see you," she said. She placed a hand behind her head and sighed, "Especially the little one!"

The Shepard family went over to the Nocris' room to see how Oja and her father were doing. The salarian was confined to his bed but his daughter was bounding about. Introductions were made all around. The salarian identified himself as Ialvid and presented his wife Eleya, who palmed Dylan and Cadrina's faces and professed her eternal thanks for rescuing her family. Oja hugged and kissed her two rescuers profusely, who were a bit surprised at her strength. Hannah sat Oja up on the side of Ialvid's bed, cooing and pinching her, taken in by Oja's spotted cheeks.

Cadrina shrugged at Oja "Sorry – Mom's a bit of a freckle freak!"

"She's quite a bundle, Ialvid!" commented Dylan.

"Phew, you have no clue," Ialvid exhaled. He cast down his eyes "…I apologize for my behavior earlier…"

Dylan waved off his apology "No offense taken."

Ialvid continued "I know that your brief time here hasn't exactly gone… smoothly, what with everyone being suspicious of humans and all. I would like to rectify that."

"You and your family are welcome in our home anytime, Dylan Shepard" added Eleya.

Hannah walked over to her husband and draped her arm around him.

"You're certainly welcome in ours" said Dylan as his wife settled by his side. "You can come over for din- to talk or watch some vids –OR- go for a swim in our pool."

Dylan rubbed his shoulder after Hannah had punched it and assumed her former friendly expression to the Nocris family. She could not believe that even under these circumstances, Dylan could still call into question her culinary abilities.

"Oja can definitely stop by," said Hannah "We have some experience with energetic daughters ourselves!"

As everyone basked in the glow of newfound friendships, they became aware of a debate taking place at the foot of Ialvid's bed. They turned to look and listen in as Oja and Cadrina tried to come to an understanding.

Oja pointed at Cadrina with an accusing finger. "Admit it! You were kissing me!"

"No," explained Cadrina "I was just giving you air. I was trying to help you breathe again."

Oja remained unconvinced. "Your lips touched my lips – that's kissing!"

"Okay, if you wanna get technical about it…" Cadrina conceded partially. "It wasss sort of a kiss, but it was to save your life…"

Oja was still for a moment. Then her eyes brightened as she gasped and clasped her hands together. The parents leaned in a bit and waited on Oja to speak. Cadrina was too caught up in defending herself to notice the audience.

"Like in the fairy story Daddy read me! It was about a princess who was in a deeeep sleep… and then her true love came to wake her up with a kiss!"

Cadrina felt both amused and uneasy about where Oja's line of reasoning was going.

"That means…" Oja suddenly lunged at Cadrina, giving her a bear hug and pressing her lips against her cheek.

"YOU'RE MY GIRLFRIENNNND!" she announced joyfully as she held on to Cadrina. Both families laughed heartily as they saw Oja seated on Cadrina's lap. Cadrina looked sheepish as she weakly patted the asari girl's head. Oja snuggled in her savior's arms. Cadrina struggled for something else to say, but then surrendered to the moment.

_You're lucky you're cute_, she thought to herself.

END

Author's Notes and Thoughts:

- According to the Mass Effect codex, the turian military not only handles defense of the colonies but also rescue services and law enforcement. No doubt the exchange personnel serving time with humans would find the separation of these essential services between civilians and soldiers inefficient and cumbersome.

- In imaging these stories as episodes in an anime, for the opening credits you'd see a montage of Cadrina and her family out and about on Palturma Beach, ending with them on a hilltop picnic. The song playing in the background would be an abbreviated version of the Postal Service's _Such Great Heights_. The end credits would be a rear view of the adult Cadrina Shepard seated on a couch with Liara T'Soni and their child in the middle looking at holos of Cadrina's time on Bysorrn. The song playing would be _Everyday People_ by Sly and the Family Stone.


	3. Gratitude

Memories of Bysorrn: Gratitude

_Ten year old Cadrina Shepard has rescued an asari child, Oja, from drowning on Palturma Beach on the planet Bysorrn. Cadrina had been taught that a good deed was its own reward. She wishes that Oja's parents could have explained that to their child…_

Mannikreck's, a once-popular open air restaurant, was positioned near the main entrance to the waterfront. It was the first business to be established on the beach since the planet was first colonized. Queras Mannikreck had supplied visitors of all races with food and drink for many years. Now that humans were planetside, the turian owner expanded his menu to entice the new clientele. Turian and other non-human attendance fell as a result, leaving behind only its most devoted customers. Queras did not let this trend discourage him as he hired on a couple of humans to his staff to further increase his multispecies appeal and to assist in preparing meals that were a health risk to his dextro-DNA constitution.

It was here that Cadrina Shepard waited for her friend Steven Hanol to show and meet up with some of the other local children. Ialvid and Eleya Nocris were here as well with their daughter Ojarali, whom everyone called Oja. Only two days earlier she and her father nearly drowned while rowing out in the ocean. The resourcefulness and bravery of Cadrina and her father Dylan averted this tragedy. When the asari child spotted Cadrina, she wasted no time in reiterating her gratitude.

Oja pranced back and forth along the front of the counter in her white and gold trimmed sundress, happily singing an improvised song about her hero. A turian couple stopped by to watch the little asari's performance. The wife insisted that her husband take a holovid of the little singer and her inspiration. Oja began her song again for the fourth time:

"_Pretty human, can't be missed! Sweetest thing I ever kissed!_ _Cadrina Shep-ard is the best and…"_

Oja stopped and threw her arms out wide in Cadrina's direction.

"_She's myyy girl-friennnnnnnnnnnnd!"_

Oja then continued to march and sing her tribute. Cadrina sat at the counter sporting a red face and a very exasperated look. She let her head fall down into the cover of her folded arms with a thud as Oja sang the next verse:

"_She's brave and strong, she saved my life! One day I will be her wife! But for now, I'm proud to say…"_

Oja spread her arms once more, this time facing the turian couple.

"_She's myyy girl-friennnnnnnnnnnnd!"_

The husband zoomed in on Oja with his camera. Cadrina's back was to the lens. Her faced was still buried in her arms.

"_Ca-driiiina - my new girl-friend! Ca-driiiina – it's not pretend! Said it before, I'll say it agaaaaaain…sheee's myyyyyyy girrrrllll-FRIENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND!" _

The turian woman applauded as Oja curtsied. "Isn't she just precious? She just adores her human friend!" she said to her husband.

"…mmmm, no accounting for taste," was his response as he confirmed the vid was saved and put away his camera.

The husband's comment was enough to snap Cadrina out of her self-conscious haze. She raised her head and shot an annoyed glance at the turians.

"Hey; what wazzat for? You don't even know me!"

"I've known enough of your kind, thank you…" dismissed the husband as he and his wife passed her by on their way out. The wife gave a sideways glance at the human girl, looking ashamed. She did not feel that all humans were a blight as her husband did.

Oja quickly came to her love's defense. "Hey, you can't talk about my girl-friend that way, parbo-head!" she yelled out at him and stuck out her tongue, blowing across it.

Cadrina groaned and motioned to speak to her only to be interrupted by one of the human bartenders who placed an empty ice bucket on the countertop in front of her.

"I'm done with it in case you need to use it," he joked and flashed a wide grin.

Cadrina squinted and laughed mockingly, not needing the additional embarrassment. She turned her attention back to Oja.

"Ummm, Oja" Cadrina stammered. Her small admirer looked up at her expectantly. "It's… a realllly sweet song… but you don't have to sing it to everyone that walks in here!"

"Everybody seems to like it," Oja responded. "Besides, it's all true! Every little bit!"

"Oja, I'm not your girlfriend…"

Oja kneeled in front of Cadrina and rested her hands and chin on her savior's lap as she looked upwards.

"But you saved me and daddy! We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you!"

Cadrina stroked the top of Oja's head. "Ohhh, you don't owe me anything! I'm just glad both of you are okay." She consulted her omni-tool; her friend was just about due to arrive and she needed to have Oja leave. He might not have the same tolerance level for the little girl's antics.

"Look, you should get back to your mom and dad. They're probably wondering where you are."

Oja sprang to her feet and pointed down across the main floor of the restaurant to Eleya and Ialvid, who were seated at a table on the far end. "There they are, right there! They can see me – HELL-OOOO!" The youth bounced in place and waved furiously at her parents, who waved back in acknowledgement.

Oja turned back to Cadrina. "See, they know where I am!"

Cadrina sighed and shook her head. Oja's lips spread into a wide smile, having proved to her own satisfaction that her parents knew her whereabouts. Three boys then walked into the premises and headed towards the counter: a salarian, a turian and a human.

Steven.

Oja cleared her throat and drew in a breath in preparation to burst into song again. Cadrina cupped her shoulder to stop her.

"Oja? Just promise me you'll behave and you can sit with me. No singing, okay?"

"…ooo-kay," Oja exhaled and climbed on to a stool next to Cadrina as Steven approached with his companions.

"He-heyy!" he declared as he bumped fists with her. He then introduced his new friends.

"Guys, meet Cadrina Shepard. Cadrina, this is Touk Landray," he gestured to the salarian and then to the turian "And this is Kale Mannikreck."

Cadrina shook each of their hands, recognizing them as two of the onlookers from the skate park a few days ago. She held on to the turian's hand slightly longer as she came to a realization about him. "Your father owns this place!"

"Sure does!" replied Kale as he gently withdrew his hand and then chuckled "Doesn't mean you'll get discounts or free stuff, though." He began to scratch at his chin. "I might… reconsider… if you let me have a go at your Skyboard!"

Cadrina frowned "It's in for repairs - sand and water damage?"

Touk and Kale murmured with a mixture of disappointment and remembrance, recalling the day when Cadrina's Skyboard was used to effect Oja's and her father's rescue.

"Of course, of course," said Touk."That was very courageous of you."

Oja threw her arms around Cadrina and chimed in. "Yeah! Isn't she great?"

Touk leaned in to get a better look at the asari "You! You're the little one who was saved. You are very, very lucky!"

"Uh-huh! She gave me a special kiss that saved my life!"

"Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation," Cadrina clarified. "I took a class with my dad a few months ago; never thought I'd need it so soon!"

"And now she's my girlfriend!"

"Oja…"

"Mommy and Daddy said I have to wait until I'm older to get married, but I'm verrrry patient! One time I waited a whooole hour for muba fruit pudding!"

"Oja?"

The asari's mouth gaped. Her eyes blinked and shifted in Cadrina's direction. Cadrina regarded her somewhat sternly. Oja huffed and shrugged and settled back into her seat. She didn't want to sit quietly She wanted to jump around. To shout and sing about how wonderful she thought Cadrina was. But the older children did not seem to want anything to do with her, much like most of the other adults. Oja rested her head on her arm and kicked her legs.

"Better be careful, Cadrina! People might talk…" chided Kale.

The children continued getting better acquainted. "So you're in Steven's game design group" Touk noted to Cadrina "I happen to be quite good at vid games myself. What are you working on right now?"

"A fighting game," she answered "with fish."

"Japan-ezze fighting fish," Steven added with a few impromptu martial arts gestures "With weapons, pirates, fishing line hazards!" He directed a stare at his human friend. "And absolutely NO HEGDEHOGS!"

Cadrina blushed slightly and looked to the floor. Once, her affection for these animals led her to convince her group to create a dungeon quest game featuring an anthropomorphic hedgehog as the hero. The game was a dismal failure when it was posted to the extranet. Cadrina was secretly hoping to rework her old character into a guest fighter in the new game.

"What are hesh-hogs?" asked Oja, hoping that she could be part of their conversation.

"Cute, spiky, fuzzy animals that have no place in vid games!" Steven replied in disgust. Cadrina snorted to herself, thinking of one particular old vid game that would discredit his assertion.

"I like games with fuzzy a-minals!" Oja remarked in favor of Cadrina.

Her endorsement did not sway Steven. "Well, we don't make games for babies!"

"I'm not a baby! I'm five!" Oja fired back, holding out her open hand just a couple of inches from his face.

Cadrina reached under the girl's arms and lowered her to the floor. "_That's enough, Ojaaa_," she told her in a mildly flustered sing-song voice "_Time to go with your mom and dad, nooow."_

But Steven had hit a nerve with the asari. "I like fighting games and shooting games, too!" Oja climbed back up on her stool and up onto the countertop. She picked up two sauce dispensers, holding them as though they were guns and pretended to dispatch imaginary enemies in front of her. Cadrina and Kale tried to grab her but she managed to evade them.

"eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-Bam! Bam! Show no mercy – ha-hah!" Oja hopped over their arms back onto her stool. The impact of landing on her backside startled her, causing her to squeal and squeeze the dispensers she held and spray purple-colored sauce all over Steven and Touk.

"Agh, direct hit!" the young salarian cried.

Cadrina finally managed to restrain Oja and take back the dispensers, apologizing for the trouble her young charge had caused. Oja laughed and pointed at the sauce-stained children. Kale quickly scrutinized their faces. It did not appear as if any got into their mouths or other facial orifices. He then leapt over the counter in search of some towels.

"Great Spirits, that sauce is dextro-based!" he exclaimed as he pored over the shelves.

Steven stood with eyes wide and hands extended, afraid to move lest the sauce drip further down on him. "Uhhhh… are we gonna die?"

Kale vaulted back over the counter, wet towels in hand, and proceeded to carefully clean off Steven and Touk. "No, but you might start to swell or itch. And if my father sees you like this, he'll peel my plates!"

All the while, Oja continued to find the whole situation funny. Cadrina had tried being patient with the little asari, but now her patience was exhausted.

Cadrina knelt down to Oja's eye level and firmly grabbed her shoulders. "That was not funny, Oja! You messed up their clothes and they might have gotten really sick! Now tell them you're sorry!"

Oja still did not comprehend what might have happened if the children had swallowed any of the sauce. "I made sauce guns, Cadrina!" she giggled "Better than stupid fighting fishies!"

"Oja! Stop it!"

"He doesn't like your hesh-hogs in his games! Serrrves him righ-t!"

"Oja!"

"Nobody talks to myyy girl-friend that way and gets away with it!"

Cadrina's last ounce of restraint burned away. "STOP IT, OJA! YOU'RE BEING A BRAT!"

Everything around her seemed to cloud up as she screamed. Immediately after, the world appeared normal again, but now very still and quiet. She became aware that she had attracted attention from everyone around her. Her eyes focused in on Oja's startled face. The toddler's lip quivered. Her eyes watered and she began to sniffle. Cadrina's friends were also surprised at her loud, shrill tone of voice. Steven momentarily though he could still hear echoes of it.

"Ohhhhh, dear" Touk uttered, having evaluated all the signs, knowing that the next sound that would be heard was preschool bawling.

Cadrina raised her hand timidly to try to calm the asari down, but it was far too late. Oja started to moan and she appeared as if she were trying to withdraw her head between her shoulders. Her face wrinkled and she ran past Cadrina out of the restaurant wailing. Cadrina immediately followed. Oja ducked around and under the front stairwell leading to the restaurant entrance. Though swift, Cadrina easily caught up to her. She found Oja huddled in the sand leaning on one of the stairwell's support columns, her face hidden between her knees. She could hear the shuffling of sand as Cadrina knelt down beside her.

"Go away, Cadrina!" she sobbed "Go away!"

"…I'm sorry I got angry, Oja…" said Cadrina quietly "I didn't wanna yell at you… but you shouldn't have acted up like that. That sauce you squirted on them… only turians can eat it. It can make anyone else sick…"

Oja sniffled "You hate me, don't you? I almost hurt your friends!"

"My friends are okay, thank goodness… I don't hate you…"

"But you don't wanna be my girlfriend! You don't love me!"

Cadrina sat down beside Oja in the same manner as the asari, resting her chin on her knees. "Oja, listen to me. Please?"

Oja sniffled a bit more and lifted her head. She would not look at Cadrina.

"If you don't love me, why did you save me?"

Cadrina, taken aback by such a morbid statement from someone so young, gently took Oja's head and coaxed her into looking her way. "Oja! How can you say that?" She caressed the girl's cheeks with her thumbs, wiping away tears. "You needed help! You and your father were in really big trouble!"

"The prince in the story did every-thing to save the prin-cess! He almost died! But he loved her so much he could climb all those mountains! And kill all those monsters!"

"If it was anybody else, I'd do the same," Cadrina stated matter-of-factly.

"Whyyy? You don't love them! You don't' even know them!"

Cadrina tried to articulate a reason Oja could understand. "It's… just… what I do. What I should do. It's myyy… civic duty!"

"Ci-vik doody?"Oja wondered aloud, beginning to calm down a little.

"Yeah, like the turians. They believe it's their duty to cooperate and help each other, to fix things, to get things done."

"But you're a hue-man! Tury-ens and hue-mans don't like each other!" Oja's despair was slowly being replaced by curiosity.

"Some of them still fight," Cadrina acknowledged "But everyone else is trying to get along now. That's why humans are on this world now and the turians are on ours, to learn from each other."

"Oh," Oja raised her head a bit more "But they're still strangers. Mommy and Daddy told me I should never talk to strangers. If you can't talk to strangers, you can't help them either…"

"It's o-kay to help someone you don't know sometimes, or even talk to them a little bit," explained Cadrina "Just don't say anything too much about yourself or walk away with them! Little things, like saying hello or wishing someone a nice day, offering a seat to someone who's tired or helping someone pick up stuff they dropped."

Oja gave another small moan of understanding.

"Your mommy and daddy love you very much. They just want you to be safe."

Cadrina was glad to see that Oja had stopped crying and now thought of a new topic to bring up to restore her to her former self. "Hey, your mama's got a biiig tummy!" she began "You're gonna be a big sister soon, huh?"

"Yeah…" Oja sulked. Cadrina thought the toddler would be excited at having a new addition to the family.

"I gotta admit I'm a little jealous," Cadrina went on "I'm the only one in my family. I'd love to have a little brother or sister, but mom and dad are waaay too busy! They say they were lucky enough just to have me!"

"Mommy's having a new baby, so I'm not a baby anymore," Oja observed "Mommy and Daddy will take care of her more cause she'll be really tiny and can't do things by herself…" She set her chin on her knees "…like I can…"

Cadrina rubbed Oja's shoulder "Your mom and dad will love you just the same, you'll see!"

Oja's tone grew more concerned. "What about the baby? I dunno how to be a big sister! What if I don't like her?" She looked worriedly at Cadrina.

"What if she doesn't like me?"

"She's gonna love you!" reassured Cadrina, putting an arm around the young asari's shoulders "And you're gonna be nuts about her!"

Oja cocked her head.

"You're gonna love her, too!" Cadrina rephrased.

She paused a moment to let Oja take in all that was said and to understand her point of view. The asari youth was already anxious and fearful about her place in her family once her new sister was born. And then she suffers a near-death experience and is rescued by someone who she believed would take care of her and love her if her parents were too preoccupied. Surely, she must have at least a couple of other friends her age. But none who would really understand what she was going through; some might already have siblings older or younger. Oja needed guidance from someone a bit older than her, who knew what being an only child was like. Someone who could show her there was nothing to really be afraid of. Cadrina gathered herself up and spoke.

"Oja… I'm too young to get married… and I'm still too young to have a girlfriend or boyfriend…" She turned to look at her young admirer. "But I'd really like to be your friend."

"Really?" said Oja, her face lighting up with joy. "My best-est friend?"

Cadrina smiled "…best-est friend!"

Oja threw her arms around Cadrina's neck and pressed her cheek to her friend's. "O-KAAAY!"

"O-o-okay!" agreed Cadrina. She held Oja close and gently rocked her. "We learn how to be big sisters together! You know, being a big sister is a lotta responsibility. You have to help your mom and dad raise her, too. There are things out there…" Cadrina's voice became a whisper "A monster that you'll need to protect her from!"

"What monster?" Oja whispered back.

Cadrina took a dramatic pause then suddenly removed her arm from around Oja and began tickling underneath her armpits "Theee –TICKLE MONNNNSTEEERRRRRR!"

Oja laughed and squealed as Cadrina kept tickling her and wrestling her to the sand. Oja retaliated and started to tickle Cadrina's sides, rolling her on her back. Cadrina didn't feel all too sensitive where Oja was tickling, but she played along for the young asari's benefit. After a minute or so the two friends rested and then stood up, dusted themselves off and strolled out from under the stairs. Waiting at the bottom of the stairs were Ialvid and Eleya. Ialvid looked at Oja and crossed his arms.

"Mr. and Mrs. Nocris," blurted Cadrina "Oja's just fine. We just had a little talk."

"We overheard," Ialvid nodded "Thank you, Cadrina." Cadrina nodded in return. He extended a hand to Oja and took on a stern expression. "Come along, young lady! There are two very messy boys you owe an apology to!"

"…yes, Daddy…" was Oja's quiet reply.

Cadrina gently nudged Oja to take her father's hand. As Ialvid led his daughter up the stairs, she looked down to Cadrina who smiled at her. Oja's lips drew up slightly, still feeling remorse for what she did earlier, but knowing that after any punishment she was due, her newest and "best-est" friend Cadrina would be waiting for her. Eleya stood behind to speak with Cadrina.

"You're all she talks about," she remarked "You and your father – 'Mr. Dylan,' she calls him." Eleya and Cadrina laughed.

"When is the baby due?" asked Cadrina, noting Eleya's abdomen.

"Not for another three to four months. I understand that human gestation periods are two months shorter than ours – your species lucked out there!" She cradled her abdomen and slowly ran her hand along the top.

"Still, I remember when I carried Ojarali. It was rough and a bit frightening at times, but Ialvid and I managed. It isn't like that now, but… I can't really play with her as much as I used to. Ialvid, Goddess bless him, he really tries to do his part. But between his work and raising her… no, I can't! You've done far more than enough for us!"

"I don't mind, really" assured Cadrina "I just need to ask my parents if they're okay with it. I can babysit Oja."

Eleya stepped closer to Cadrina and lightly her cheek.

"Thank you, Cadrina…" She gazed at Cadrina's face taking in her features. She squinted a little, seeming to find something of great interest in them.

"What is it?" Cadrina asked.

"Oh, nothing…" Eleya withdrew her hand "It's… there's just something about you. In your aura…"

Cadrina's eyes beckoned Eleya to say more.

"I feel… somehow… that you have a great destiny ahead of you, that you will do something of great importance one day. I just … I just know it…"

Eleya held Cadrina's chin. "You have a good heart and an open mind. Never allow them to whither. Find strength and love in your family and your friends."

Eleya blinked and then adopted a lighter tone, releasing Cadrina's chin.

"Listen to me just drone on! I didn't mean to keep you – go! Go be with your friends, Cadrina. I'll walk you back inside."

Cadrina's attentiveness to Eleya's words melted back into a friendly smile "Thank you, Mrs. Nocris"

Cadrina and Eleya went up the stairway back into the restaurant.

END

Author's Notes and Thoughts:

- Originally, I had Oja call the turian husband a "doody-head." But this is a non-human child; names for poo don't always translate along. I know, details, details!

- Easy 5 points for whoever gets the hedgehog game reference. As for the fighting fish game, I thought of a parody of the Soul Calibur game called Sole Halibut. Knowing Steven's obsession with karate, it's sure to be a monster hit on the extranet!

- My sincerest apologies if you should happen to get Oja's girlfriend song stuck in your head. I had to come up with it – how do you think I feel?


	4. A Different Beat

Memories of Bysorrn: A Different Beat

_Cadrina's mother, Staff Lieutenant Hannah Shepard, is an Alliance officer that has proven herself in combat and has a reputation for being aggressive and bold. Her latest assignment: the Palturma Beach precinct, where she must now adapt to deal with a civilian population…_

Morning traffic moved at a moderate clip along the highway by the shore. Some vehicles were bound for the beach, others continued onward into the city limits. A faint whining noise grew into a loud roar as an unusual ground-based vehicle weaved around and past other drivers at great speed, making all on the road take notice. It was held up by only two black, silver rimmed wheels. The dark blue, aerodynamically styled body resembled the head of a fearsome predatory bird, with a roaring kerium-ion engine providing its call. Astride the vehicle was a humanoid figure wearing a black helmet, brown leather jacket and somewhat baggy blue pants and boots. Some drivers sighed in relief when the speed demon finally took an exit ramp off the highway.

Winding through a few more cross streets, the vehicle came to a stop just in front of an austere fountain placed just outside of the Palturma Beach police station. The humanoid figure deployed the vehicle's kick stand to rest and extended its legs to touch the ground. It removed its helmet to reveal a light-skinned human female in her thirties with short, auburn hair. She shook her head and combed a few strands back into place as she regarded the slightly weathered two-story building for a moment. She then hung her helmet on the side of her motorcycle, started it up again and maneuvered to an empty parking spot around the side of the station. After powering down, she shouldered a black duffel bag and proceeded towards the station entrance. Along the way, she saw a drunken salarian stagger up to the active fountain only to keel over and vomit into it.

_That'll mess up the pH balance, _she joked to herself as she entered the building.

The hallway leading up to the station's reception area was fairly long and lined with doorways to briefing and interrogation rooms along to the human woman's right. There was also a Tupari vending machine placed midway to her left. So far, it was not much different from an average human police station. The woman found the similarities between non-humans and her kind amusing and troubling, but also reassuring. Several feet ahead of her a door slid open and out flew a turian, hurtling back first towards the opposite wall. He slammed against it and slid down to the floor as a batarian ran past him and headed straight for her. Another turian stepped outside of the door and called out:

"Hey…! Stop him – he's getting away!"

The batarian stopped within inches of the human female. She released her hold of the straps on her duffel bag, letting it hang freely on her shoulder. Calmly her arms went to her sides, waiting for the batarian's next move. The second turian tended to his partner on the floor while he kept watch on the human. The batarian suspect was cocksure and promptly assumed a defensive posture, trying to intimidate her into letting him pass.

"Out of my way, human!" he threatened in his species' characteristic bass tone "You've never dealt with the likes of me!"

He focused all four of his eyes on the auburn-haired woman and began to hop around on his legs, shifting them back and forth and throwing a couple of fake jabs. The woman just stood there, unimpressed and almost emotionless.

"I'm wanted in three systems!"

In actuality, the batarian was only a petty thief and not much of a fighter. The turian officers that brought him in failed to properly secure the suspect's binders. He got loose and surprised them, sending one of them into the wall. Little did the batarian know that this particular human sensed that he was all show and was planning a surprise of her own; she had little patience for braggarts.

The batarian continued to make threatening hand motions. "I'm a master of Hopjaru… Nekaaz… and a whole host of other fighting techniques you couldn't begin to…"

Suddenly and with no fuss, the woman stepped within the suspect's reach, quickly grabbed his head and thumped it into the wall to her left. He let out a groan as he collapsed unconscious.

"He's all yours, boys!" she announced to the two turians ahead of her "You can put him back in his cage now!"

She took hold of her duffel bag straps again and resumed walking down the hallway past the two careless officers as they dashed up to collect the batarian. Near the end of the hallway, the human female spun about and called out to the officers as she continued walking backwards.

"By the way… you're welcome!"

The reception area had a desk lined with terminal screens at its center and four larger screens overhead televising community bulletins, notices and alerts. Seats off to the left side were half filled with citizens who were there to seek assistance, file complaints or just hang around. Yellow morning light rays came through the windows bordering the room. Sitting at the desk was a nervous brown-colored salarian. Hanging over his shoulder much like a hawk was a metal gray turian with cracked mandibles and frills wearing dark-purple face paint. As the human approached the desk, she caught the end of the turian's lecture.

"…I don't care how bored you are; personnel files are for need-to-know basis only, not reading and gossip material! I catch you in Archives again without a research request and I'll have you counting and grading grains of sand to keep you busy!" The turian backed off from the salarian receptionist before addressing the woman in the brown leather jacket.

"Yesss – what can we do for you?" he groaned with an attitude left over from dressing down his subordinate.

The woman ignored his tone; it was not the first time she had dealt with people of his ilk. "Hi. Maybe you can help me? I'm looking for Captain Dojhen…"

"And you've found him," the turian completed, looking her over. "Captain Prage Dojhen. You must be the other exchange from Systems Alliance, Miss…?"

Hannah stood at attention and saluted "Staff Lieutenant Hannah Shepard, reporting for duty, sir."

The salarian squealed happily and smiled then immediately switched to a professional demeanor, glancing at his captain and then to Hannah. He keyed in commands to his console, activating the overhead camera which zoomed in and confirmed the Alliance officer's identity against the mainframe records.

"Welcome to Palturma Beach, ma'am" he greeted her politely in a clipped voice that sounded almost as if he had inhaled a helium balloon. "I'm Sergeant Huran Panish. We've received your personnel file and authoride code from the Hierarchy and you've been cleared and approved for access and use of station facilities, equipment and vehicles. Please feel free to contact me if you should have any questions or issues."

Hannah thanked Huran for his efforts to get her set up and followed Captain Dojhen's directive to follow him into his office. As soon as they were out of sight, Huran bounced happily in his seat. The person that had so captured his interest of late had finally arrived. Hannah was one of only three humans assigned to the precinct. Huran found one of the human males was personable enough, but a bit too careful; careful to the point of being dull. The other seemed to be in his own space and a touch jittery. Reading over Hannah's service record filled the salarian with excitement. Crime in the precinct was not rampant, but there were a few problematic elements that could use more attention. The special attention that Hannah was capable of giving…

"Hey! Huran! Make sure our prisoner is logged for transfer to Berdo. It's his third offense..."

Huran awoke from his daydream and acknowledged the two turian officers in front of him. One of them squirmed slightly and rubbed his neck.

"What happened to you, Ras?" the sergeant asked.

Ras was a little reluctant in his answer "…damn batarian punk… jumped me and tried to make a run for it…"

"Loose binders, again?" chided Huran "Sooner or later, Dojhen's going to get wind of your foul ups! We're not running a catch-and-release program here…"

"We got 'em before he could get away, alright?" interjected Ras' partner. Huran moaned in pretended agreement as he keyed in commands to his console to verify their report was properly filed.

Ras rubbed and rotated his shoulder. "…that human had some stones, she did…"

His partner cut in again "Ras!"

Huran folded his hands in front of him and grinned smugly at the two bumbling officers. "Ahhh… I see you've met her!"

"…That was 'Hellcat Hannah?'" exclaimed Ras "The one you've been going on about?"

"The very one - made short work of your batarian friend, didn't she?"

"What work? She just tossed him into the wall like nothing!" revised Ras' partner.

"Formidable and quick," Huran commented and tapped on his console some more. "Indeed! She'll give this place both the spark and the muscle it needs!"

Hannah sat down in front of Dojhen's desk after removing her jacket, setting it down on her duffel bag by her chair. She was eager to get started, but she tolerated the formality she currently endured as the precinct captain acquainted himself with his new recruit via her file up on his terminal. He read off key items aloud:

"Hannah Shepard… Earth age, thirty-two years… married to one Captain Dylan Matthias Shepard, also with Systems Alliance… one child, female… enlisted in CE 2150… received officer's commission in 2158… specialties: tactics, coding… hmm, two reprimands for disobeying orders… three commendations for valor… former member of strike unit deployed for high-risk incidents, pirate incursions… last assignment was patrol of Alliance trade lanes along the Tannis Cluster… heh, heh… you earned the nickname of 'Hellcat' for your… initiative…"

"Some people just don't know how to follow a simple order to stand down, sir," commented Hannah with a subtle smirk.

Dojhen read further down. "…your mother was diplomat Olivia Consley, co-author of the Consley-Schacter Accord which brought about this exchange program…" He looked up at Hannah. "My sincerest condolences for your loss."

"Thank you, sir. I'm taking it day by day."

The turian captain rose and paced to the front of his desk. "You're a person who believes in what humans call 'straight talk.' You value candor above political correctness…"

Hannah became a touch defensive, readying herself for a xenophobic rant "Meaning…"

"Meaning that I think it's a mistake for this kind of program to be taking place. It's too soon after the Incident!"

_Exactly what most other turians and humans say,_ Hannah thought and then quoted "'If we do not act now, it will be too late!'"

Dojhen snorted "So said your mother. She was a firm believer in building a lasting peace between our peoples. And it's out of respect for her beliefs that I'm going along with this." He leaned on the front of his desk and crossed his arms. "As for your part, from what I've read you are a highly effective, if occasionally overzealous, soldier. Your skills and abilities are what my people respect and value. But remember: you will be dealing primarily with civilians. You'll be the first of your kind to patrol these streets with a sidearm. Meaning you'll have to tone down your approach. They don't need any more reason to suspect and fear humans than they have now."

"I can behave… if they can listen," pledged Hannah. "Now that we know where we each stand, can we talk about who I'll be partnering with?"

Dojhen uncrossed his arms. "I asked for volunteers shortly before you arrived. No one was willing, unfortunately…"

Hannah exhaled and shook her head. Then there was a knock on the office door.

"…Except one – come in!"

Hannah slowly rose to her feet as the door slid open, suppressing a conditioned response to go for a weapon. In walked what had to be the most massive and intimidating krogan that Hannah ever laid eyes on. He was massive even by krogan standards, his footsteps echoed throughout the room. Clad in the blue armor of the turian police officers, the black and yellow krogan stopped just in front of a miniscule Hannah.

"Hannah Shepard, meet Lieutenant Commander Deveg Wulger. He'll be supervising and assisting you in the field."

Deveg's red eyes met Hannah's wide eyes as he extended his hand. Even his deep timbered voice seemed to cause the room to vibrate. "Shepard… a pleasure to meet you…"

Hannah blinked twice, willing herself to shake his hand. Her past experience with krogan had always been violent. She had clashed with pirate and mercenary groups that employed them for their berserker tendencies and the sheer terror they inspired. But despite his fearsome appearance, he projected a genuine air of welcome and accommodation. Wulger could see that his new partner was a bit uneasy and closed his lips over his toothy smile to put her more at ease.

"S-s-sorry about that," Hannah stuttered "Last time I was this close it wasn't to shake hands; nothing personal!"

A chuckle resonated in Wulger's throat "I completely understand. Restraint is not usually a quality associated with my people." He released her hand and pointed a thumb towards the door. "Come on – I'll give you a proper tour of the station."

Wulger first took Hannah to the personnel lockers to stow her gear and change into her uniform and vest. Their next stop was the station armory to pick up her gun, which she found a bit smaller than she preferred, much to the master of arm's chagrin. Wulger interceded and assured Hannah that her weapon would be more than adequate if needed. As she was shown around to the cafeteria, she came across the two other Alliance officers. She learned that one was assigned to Archives and the other to traffic control. The latter was pending reassignment to patrol duty should Hannah's foray into the streets work out.

"And this area here is Dispatch…" said Wulger as he neared the end of his tour, bringing Hannah to a row of consoles with a map of the precinct on display. Working the consoles were a hanar and a turian who keyed off three red markers from the map after hearing back from units that those marked areas were clear. Nearest to Wulger and Hannah was a pale grey elcor wearing a harness-like covering with what resembled ornate earrings hanging by the sides of its head. Wulger cleared his throat to attract its attention. The elcor pivoted its head carefully towards the krogan after keying off its earpiece.

"Enthusiastic greeting: Wulger, dear. I was wondering when you would stop by. I certainly hope no one else has become the object of your affections…" The elcor studied Wulger's companion.

Wulger placed a hand on his chest and bowed playfully "You know I'd never do anything to displease the flower of the station!" He grinned and motioned to Hannah "This is Lieutenant Hannah Shepard, my new partner."

"Polite salutation: Greetings. I am Kessile. I oversee the station's emergency call center for the daytime rotation. Sincere endorsement: you are in good hands, Lieutenant. Deveg Wulger is one of this precinct's finest officers. You can learn a lot from his example."

Hannah failed to subdue a snicker which the elcor was quick to catch. "Concerned inquiry: What is so funny, madam. Do I have something on me again, Wulger."

Once more, Hannah found herself in an uncomfortable spot "Sorry, I… you… field calls?"

"Defensive justification: Yes, I do. Throughout my life, I have always been able to relate very well to others. I have been cited by the captain many times for my ability to reassure callers and keep calm in a crisis."

"I didn't mean to imply that you weren't good at your job" blustered Hannah "It just… struck me a bit ironic, that's all!"

"Sly commentary: I see. It is much like Wulger's current situation. Before he joined the police, he used to oversee a varren kennel back on Tuchanka. I am sure he thought he had left a life of tending animals far behind him…"

Hannah sucked in a breath. _This lady did not just compare me to damn fishdogs!_

Kessile's earpiece chimed an incoming call tone "Excuse me; I need to take this now…"

Wulger quickly led a sputtering Hannah away from the dispatch section, apologizing for his friend's rude comment as the elcor attended her latest caller.

"Salutation: Palturma Beach Precinct, how may I be of assistance… Stifled exasperation: Yes, Madam N'Chol, what appears to be the trouble this time… Elaboration query: Are you sure it is not just a mist, does it have arms or legs…"

As Wulger and Hannah entered the station's motor pool, she continued to fume at her ill treatment by some of the staff.

"To be fair, you did imply that you thought Kessile's being an elcor meant she was too slow to handle a call console," Wulger pointed out as he walked towards his aircar.

"I know… and I'm sorry," acknowledged Hannah as she kept pace. "But where does she get off calling me an animal? What gave her that impression of me?"

Wulger grumbled as the answer came to him. "Panish! Kessile probably heard about you from Sargeant Panish. He's only been here a few months; tends to bore easily. He does this every now and then, reads through personnel files and records, looking for tidbits. Humans have a funny name-phrase for his kind, people that like to disclose and discuss private matters…" Wulger snapped his fingers as he tried to recall.

"Security risk? Tattle-tale? Blabbermouth? 'Chatty Kathy?'" Hannah suggested.

Wulger pointed a finger at her last term. "That's the one. He seems to be your biggest fan. Word around the station is that he's hoping you'll bring a little excitement to life around here."

As the two officers stopped in front of Wulger's aircar, Hannah folded her arms and asked pointedly "What have you heard about me?"

The huge krogan became sheepish "…only what others said they heard from Panish…"

"Like my strike unit days, eh? Yeah, they were exciting… every time my team got called in and we set down on a landing pad, we all stood a good chance of being blown away before we even stepped off the shuttle! And yeah, I can be rough! You have to be when lowlife slavers and pirates are trying to take you out every step of the way! I'd usually give them a chance to surrender, but eventually you can tell who's not about to go down without a fight. Sometimes time is really against you. And sometimes the safety of your men counts more than some academy grad's battlefield assessment!"

Wulger's friendly smirk faded as Hannah gave her side of her service history. She lowered her head, exhaled and continued "I was the one they sent in when everyone got tired of talking, or when the regulars were underpowered or too scared. I'll admit that part of me does get a kick out of it; otherwise I would have quit this life a long time ago…" She looked up to Wulger.

"Just be honest with me; you didn't volunteer, did you? You were volunteered. They stuck you with a filthy, troublemaking human because no one else wanted the job!"

Wulger's even tone became a bit agitated. "Shepard… I just took you all over this station. Did you see –any- other krogan officers here?"

Hannah moved her head to respond in the negative.

The krogan thrust his arms out and let them drop. "Exactly; I'm the only one! The only oversized krogan in the whole damn place and if it wasn't for my shield, I'd only be just that! I have to put up with a lot of crap as well being what I am, knowing what my people have done. I work alone because no one else here will be my partner. Probably think I'd eat them or get blood rage and tear them apart! Hell, Kessile's the one real friend I have here; the only person who's even bigger than me!"

Wulger leaned in to further make his case. He spoke more calmly "I volunteered to be your partner because I thought 'Finally! There's someone who'll understand! Someone just like me who pushes on and does their job, does what's right despite what anyone else says or thinks…' Maybe I was wrong. If so, then why be a part of the exchange program, then?"

"It's a bit complicated," explained Hannah, shifting her weight and lowering her arms "…But it has to do with family. I'm here mostly for my family."

Wulger stood up straight again "My situation is a bit complicated as well. And like you, I'm also here because of family."

Hannah reconsidered her morning at the police station. She could have been a bit more gracious, but felt the effort then would have been wasted if people were only going to be condescending. But she was no less guilty than anyone else in making a snap judgment on the elcor operator. And of momentarily assuming that Deveg Wulger, the only officer in the station that didn't have any problem with her besides the two Alliance men and the sergeant, would only live up to the stereotypical krogan, more so due to his size.

The warrior-mother shrugged in apology "…You weren't wrong, Wulger…" She then placed her hands on her hips and chuckled.

"Hmph… you dance your whole life around one kind of people and suddenly you're out in the galaxy and now it's a different beat! You promise yourself you can deal with it, but you'll surprise yourself more often with what you actually do!"

Wulger's toothy smile returned along with a throaty chuckle of his own. "Let's say we just put this morning behind us, okay? We'll chalk it up to first day jitters!"

"Good call..." agreed Hannah.

Wulger palmed open the aircar doors. Hannah took her seat on the passenger side while Wulger settled himself in front of the controls. Only after he was seated that Hannah noticed that the front seat on his side was removed and his rump actually extended to the seats in back. She said nothing, only raising an eyebrow to him. Wulger shrugged and smiled, reminding her to strap on her safety belt. "Yes, father…" she smirked in response. Wulger powered up the aircar's drive. The vehicle's doors swung downwards and shut as mass effect fields enveloped it, raising it off the ground. Slowly the aircar moved towards the main gate of the motor pool.

Wulger turned to his partner. "So, ready for your first day on the street?"

Hannah thought for a moment and answered "I'd say I was born ready… but a sucker says that just before it's born!"

Wulger tapped on the control stick. "Shepard, I think this may be the beginning of a productive partnership!"

As the aircar left the motorpool, Hannah got in one last wisecrack before the aircar hit speed:

"Why, Officer Wulger; I think I may find myself falling in like with you…"

END

Author's Notes and Thoughts:

- Hannah's head-thumping move on the batarian suspect was taken from the first thirty seconds of Nigahiga's YouTube video "How to be Emo"

- This story was largely inspired by the first few minutes of the movie _RoboCop_, when Officer Murphy (Peter Weller) first arrives at the police station and gets his first taste of what life is like in the Old Detroit precinct

- Actor Clancy Brown was the basis for the krogan Deveg Wulger

- Authoride – portmanteau of _authorization_ and _override_; a unique biometric combination code based on an individual's DNA , heat signature and nervous system electrical pulses


	5. Troubled Waters

Memories of Bysorrn: Troubled Waters

_Dylan Shepard is adjusting to his assignment to an all-turian crew in his promotion to shore patrol, having completed a probationary period as lifeguard. His commanding officer assures him that their races may yet have a chance for real peace, but they will soon make a discovery that may threaten that peace…_

The silver and white arrow shape of the shore patrol craft skimmed and hopped across the spray of the waters, banking around a craggy protrusion before travelling further out into the ocean. The sure hands of the young turian at the helm then leveled out the craft to a path parallel to the shoreline. Her captain standing alongside marked down additional waypoints and notes on the blue-lit holomap in front of him.

"Course change complete," she barked out.

The captain glanced down at the holomap again. They were passing near one of the commercial spaceports that serviced cargo ships from all over Council space. He switched on the craft's com system.

"Now entering Zone Three-Five," he announced "Spotters on deck: status report."

"Clear!" responded each of the lookouts in turn on the bow, stern and starboard sides.

"All is well, Sir!" said the lookout on port.

"Very good," said the captain before he switched off the com. "Maintain course, Tierken."

"Yes, Sir," said the helmsman as her superior left the bridge.

The bronze-hued turian stepped out onto the craft's starboard side and rested his hands on the safety railing. He took in the mid-morning panorama of sparse ribbon clouds strewn across the pale blue sky and the bright white sun on its arc. Droplets from the water vapor of the craft's wake dotted his facial plates and mandibles. Strond Vellisir could not resist closing his eyes and drawing in a lungful of air through his nostrils, savoring the taste of its mix with the ocean. He had patrolled these waters for years and knew every curve, stretch and port but never grew ill of them. He exhaled and proceeded sternward when he heard a stifled moan that lacked the metallic resonance of his species' vocalizations. He looked down to his right to see a sandy blond, bearded human seated with his back against a bulkhead, one arm wrapped about his torso. Two crewmembers making their rounds cast a passing glance at their new rescue operative, stopping a short distance away to watch as he palmed and swallowed a seasickness pill. Their chuckling and pointing got his attention as well as their captain's. Vellisir snapped his chin up at them, sending them shuffling on their way. As they left the human's eyes followed them, narrowing slightly as he exhaled.

"Shepard…"

Dylan Shepard glanced upwards "… Captain…"

Vellisir cocked his head towards where the other sailors stood "It's not what you think. Those two were just as queasy when they started out. In time you'll be able to move between land and sea as easily as getting in and out of a chair."

"Might take a little longer for me - I grew up around woodlands… lake fishing was about the extent of my nautical experience."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. It's only your third day…"

Dylan gave a chuckling groan as Vellisir continued "How have you been getting on with the rest of your orientation? Have you been brought up to speed on equipment and procedures?"

"Kulz actually acknowledged me today without grumbling," Dylan recalled "I think I'm finally starting to grow on him."

"You'll have to be patient with Mr. Tekelzan. He still sees your assignment here as some sort of cruel joke by the Hierarchy…"

"He's a First Contact veteran, isn't he?" Dylan surmised.

"Yes - lost a few good friends during the fighting. A fine medic, though. They talked him into transferring here to retain his services in a more 'civil' environment. For a while, it seemed to help him cope with his losses and to feel like he was doing some good again. Then the exchange program was instituted…"

"I was never involved… in the war…"

"He knows that. He also knows that you and the other humans are here to help, whether out of genuine good will or just following orders. Your file says you have an interest in psychology. Certainly you can appreciate the conflict he's grappling with?"

Dylan bobbed his head. The conversation was helping to take his mind off his nausea.

"When the situation calls for it, he will put it aside and perform his duty. Be sure to be at your best when you work with him. Kulz may surprise you."

"I'll try to be, Captain."

"We're all here to serve and protect the public good," Vellisir went on "Bury any prejudice, gripe or personal opinion you may have while you're on my ship. Everyone can see the placard when they come aboard."

Dylan focused on the deck by the entry port where the worn, gray placard was bolted down. "You told me you were going to translate it for me..."

Vellisir paused a moment "Right – forgive me. I forgot they're only instructing humans in the Osic dialect…"

The captain turned in the direction of the placard.

"_Resheer-ec Qanas, Sunn Em'ane… Aboard This Vessel, All Are Family_."

"A crew is a lot like a family," agreed Dylan "We may get on each other's nerves but we still cooperate, watch out for each other, do our part to keep the ship running and carry out the mission."

Captain Vellisir's mandibles twitched "It applies to everyone, Shepard. Not just the crew."

"Oh?"

"To the people we assist and rescue – family members who need our help. The officers and guests we allow on board – members who want to catch up, make sure we're well and acting as we're expected to. Even the criminals and misfits we apprehend – family who've gone astray, whom we try our utmost not to harm and, if we must, only to incapacitate them… to save them from themselves."

"That's a very benevolent philosophy you have, Captain."

"It's what my people believe, but you'll hear more about our discipline and military prowess. The ability to work together despite our differences is the beating heart of turian society. The familial spirit we foster here is an extension of that."

The turian captain looked to the ocean "Besides… it's dangerous to quarrel while in the grips of something greater than yourself. The ocean has a spirit all its own… and it can sense discord..."

Vellisir leaned against the railing and continued "I never really cared for space travel. They call it the ultimate freedom and it's often compared to the oceans. I can't possibly see how they're alike; space is far too chaotic. Out there you place all your faith in instrumentation to contend with celestial hazards. And when it fails, you're finished! Space requires a whole new physiology and mindset to navigate and thrive in it. As far as evolution is concerned, I'm just a dead end."

He gestured outwards at the waves "But here… here I find freedom balanced with order and gravity. If my kind is doomed to die out, I can think of no better grave than the ocean. It's the cradle where we first came into being. All life owes it a debt…"

Dylan sported a bemused grin as Vellisir turned to face him again "The landlock disagrees?"

"You remind me of the captains and pirates in the old human novels and vids talking about the sea" smiled Dylan. He then recited a quote from one of these works in a light imitation of the rolling brogue of those characters:

"_A fickle beauty, she is. Some she favors and others she casts to the depths. Best to keep your wits about you! Learn to read the wind and the waves if you want to master her!" _

"I don't consider myself a master of the ocean, Shepard," Vellisir snickered at Dylan's impression "More as being in harmony with it. I've felt its pull and come to admire its power and majesty since the days of my childhood. Some have even alleged that I may be part hanar… although I… did fancy a particular hanar a few years back…"

Vellisir's askance reference to his personal life garnered a puzzled look from Dylan. The turian captain straightened up.

"Said that aloud, did I? I'll say no more. As you're employed in the capacity of maintaining health and well being, Shepard, I trust you'll never allow me to get drunk enough to divulge details!"

The human snorted and shook his head, cackled twice and went quiet a moment before saying "As long as there are worlds with open waters, there'll always be a need for sea dogs to track us across them. Your kind is a proud and enduring tradition, Captain."

"It better well be or it would make leave an outright waste of time!"

"How so?" encouraged the human.

Vellsir leaned in a little and confided "Built a small sailing ship of my own, you see, with some help from friends and family. Call in favors to lug it to worlds with some promising expanses. It's got modern conveniences, of course, to deal with emergencies and the like, but not so many as to insulate you. I've sailed my ship on five planets so far, including this one. Once your species is officially granted an embassy, I look forward to taking it to your world. I understand it's over seventy percent water - 'the big, blue marble' is an apt description for it!"

Dylan was over his bout of seasickness, absorbed in his commanding officer's obsession with sailing. He mused over the idea of joining Vellisir on his excursion to Earth. Perhaps when that time came, Dylan would be used to the feel of the ocean and the rift between humans and turians would be healed enough to permit the journey and other joint ventures.

"That's my life's ambition: to sail the seas of every civilized world in Council space."

"With the suns and stars to guide you and the wind at your back," added Dylan "I hope you do get to sail on my homeworld one day."

"… If fate permits…"

"Captain!" the helm called out from inside the bridge.

Vellisir hurried over to her. Dylan stood up and trod over to the entrance, leaning in to listen.

"What is it, Tierken?"

"Another vessel, roughly three miles from our position" she replied. "It just lit up on the sensor grid out of nowhere."

The captain examined the holomap and activated the com "Mr. Hongren, did you not see a craft three miles out from us earlier?"

"No, Sir," replied the starboard lookout, who went silent for a moment "… I have it, now. It's just drifting in over the horizon line."

Vellisir scrolled the holomap display, noted the identification code on the ship, switched frequencies and tried to make contact. Preliminary information described it as a personal luxury craft, which had become a more common sight since the turian Hierarchy's efforts to rebrand Bysorrn as a resort world in addition to being a rest and refueling stop for freighters and transports. Vellisir was unable to reach anyone aboard.

"Looks like we're the closest to intercept… lay in a course with all speed, Tierken!"

Tierken's hands tapped out new instructions on her console "We're underway, Sir!"

As she ramped up the drive core, Vellisir changed com frequencies again "All hands: I need this ship prepped for a level two security sweep and a boarding party assembled immediately!"

His head spun to the bridge entrance "Shepard…"

"On my way, Captain!" acknowledged Dylan before leaving the doorway.

Minutes later the patrol craft was in range of the luxury vessel. Vellisir called out through an amplifier as the craft made a slow approach. Just as before, no response from any passengers or crew. Scans revealed a structurally sound hull, a powered down drive core and two lifeform readings in the lower cabins but no other irregularities of any kind. Dylan, Kulz and four other crewmen checked over their gear while a lookout made a sweep of the vessel through a sniper scope. Dylan was relieved to find that, true to Strond Vellisir's word, all their weapons used non-lethal concussion rounds. It was difficult for him to suppress command instincts, glancing and motioning to the others to see that they haven't overlooked anything in their preparations. His own rank of captain was more a token of respect these days. Since becoming a med tech, he took orders much more often than giving them.

Kulz tapped the human's arm "They know what they're doing, Shepard."

"Sorry, Tekelzan. Old habits." Dylan examined the pearl white, blue trimmed vessel that rivaled the patrol craft in size. "Sleek model…"

"Yeah, another one of the elite deciding to take themselves off grid for extra privacy and some offshore fun... or trouble" Kulz held up his service pistol "Hence the precautions."

"But they're still family who need help," Dylan recalled Vellisir's words "It shouldn't matter how many credit chits they've got lining their pockets."

"Still, you get the occasional 'family members' who like to take advantage. Repeat offenders who continue looking for trouble. One day they'll find it… and there may not be any family around to bail them out!"

Captain Vellisir gestured to the party lead from the bridge.

"We're clear to board," Kulz told Dylan "Have your databases loaded up?"

Dylan quickly checked his omni-tool "Check - queued and ready."

"Good. Keep your weapon up and cover Axon's rear during the sweep – he'll be your backup once we've secured the ship. Remember, perform med-scans only until our lead Tracton gives the all clear. Then we can work more directly with our patients."

"Got it," said Dylan as he armed his pistol.

"You're a lucky man - you get started off easy… probably won't find anything worse than two drunken idiots who think they can sing…"

Dylan snorted at Kulz's last comment as the patrol craft slowly pulled alongside. Two deck hands, each covered by a rifleman, deployed magnetic clamps to dock securely with the luxury craft. Tracton shouldered her rifle and ordered her party to form up behind her. Dylan took his place behind crewman Axon and the group of six climbed on board.

The boarding party turned up nothing further during their inspection. By all accounts, it was just a civilian craft with a foolish couple stranding themselves and getting in over their heads, searching for thrills. In the lower cabins, giggling was heard coming from one of the sealed compartments. Tracton motioned for the group to hang back slightly down the narrow hallway while she took position by a door and slowly palmed the lock. The compartment door hissed open, revealing a small cabinet beside a bed. A salarian was lying face down on it with undone and disheveled clothing. Sitting beside him was an asari with a flush complexion and purplish, bloodshot eyes wearing nothing more than an open, long sleeved shirt. She was not at all disturbed to be discovered in this fashion. Kulz made sure to move in just behind Dylan, keeping out of her line of sight, Dylan finding this move contrary to what he was instructed. He activated his omni-tool, setting it for salarian and asari physiology. The asari leaned over the unconscious salarian and tried to rouse him. Her partner only moaned and remained listless.

"Heeeeey…heeeylook – companeh!" she slurred and then looked over the team before stopping to squint at Dylan.

"Bagh! If dah puleece arnah geddin morah uptigh… theya geddin palea 'n squisheea!" She wagged a finger at him "Ye gah sumh… stuff on ya face, frienh…"

Tracton stowed her weapon and sighed "I don't think they pose a danger to anyone in their condition… see to them."

"Yes, ma'am" said Dylan as waved his omni-tool about the couple. They were highly intoxicated but had no physical injuries. The other boarding party members put away their weapons as well. Kulz deployed his own omni-tool to take readings but still kept position behind Dylan. Unconsciously, the human moved aside slightly in an attempt to be courteous and give the turian medic more clearance to work.

The asari took notice "Huh… KUL-ZEE! HIIIIYY!"

Kulz gave a low grumble. Dylan, flustered, tried to move to block him from view again.

"Tha yah nue frien, Kul-zee?" the asari needled "A-mah-zing! You saih you wunna be caugh deah nexa whun a dem…"

Tracton remained stoic but her teammates began to have more difficulty keeping their composure. Kulz muttered something unintelligible, prompting Dylan to sputter "Ma'am, please… if you… could – uh, Te-kelzan… maybe I should…?"

"By all means!" blustered Kulz.

Dylan awkwardly stepped over to the asari and took her arm, coaxing her off the bed and out of the sleeping compartment. Tracton cleared her throat to get her group to fall back in line and sent two away to prepare the ship for return to port as well as to make additional space in the hallway. Too weak to stand, the asari slumped down and propped against a nearby wall, swooning and tittering as Dylan continued examining her. He tried to make amends.

"I really don't know what to say…" he said aloud while using his omni-tool to examine her eyes, steadying her wobbling head with his free hand.

"Forget it, Shepard," dismissed Kulz as he turned the salarian over "I'm just cursed, that's all."

But Dylan would not let the matter rest "… It's a hell of a way to find out your girlfriend's been cheating on you…"

"With what she charges, I'm damn glad she isn't!" Kulz countered as he passed his device over his patient's chest, taking readings.

The human lowered his own device and started recalibrating for blood analysis only to pause in sudden comprehension.

"'What she charges…' You mean she's a…"

Tracton held up a hand to silence Dylan and nodded, directing him to the asari's left shoulder. Where it connected to her torso there was a small, vertical, ornate tattoo on the skin.

"…hooker?" he whispered.

The asari took offense and pulled at his chin "Thash 'es-kort' ta yue, mosh-fashe!"

Dylan grasped her arm and lowered it to her lap. "Alright, Miss. I just need to run one more test."

"I haaaf a nayme, ya kno" the asari's head swiveled "Izzz Se-naaah!"

"Well… Miss Sennah. You are on quite the long trip…"

"And in violation of your contract," added Tracton "You know it's forbidden to accept food or drugs directly from clients, medicinal or otherwise. The stipulation is for everyone's safety, especially your own! Second offense means suspension of license…"

Sennah pursed her lips and sprayed defiantly, sprinkling Dylan with drops of spittle. He shook her once to focus her attention on him again and used the back of his hand to wipe off. Kulz was then heard reporting on his progress.

"Well, I've managed to stabilize him" he said of the salarian "But we'll need to get him to a hospital for detoxification as soon as possible. All the readings point to a recreational drug cocktail. Indigo Lattice."

Dylan consulted the readouts on his omni-tool after testing Sennah's blood.

"Is this what I'm seeing here in her system?" he commented.

Kulz paced over and tapped out instructions on his device to synchronize with Dylan's, ignoring Sennah's flirting and eye batting. A small, three dimensional molecular model manifested for them both.

"That's it. A little of that mix can take you a long way. But it looks like our friend back here also took something else: a compound I've never seen before that's reacting with the Lattice. It could be a bad batch or a new drug hitting the market."

Dylan compared his blood work on Sennah with the salarian's; she did not take in any of the unidentified substance. Tracton leaned into the compartment to get a better look at Kulz's patient and something in her clicked.

"I know him – he's the evening rotation supervisor for the spaceport we pass on our route."

"Well, he won't be making his shift tonight, Ma'am" commented the turian medic.

Tracton gathered herself up "If there is a new drug out there, we have a possible venue for distribution. I'll report back to Captain Vellisir. You two keep our guests secure and out of any further mischief until we reach port."

As their lead departed, Kulz and Dylan helped Sennah up on her feet and walked her over to a vacant compartment. After they helped dress her, the asari rested on her own bed while Dylan went over the sensor logs again, scrutinizing a hologram of the Indigio Lattice mix along with the newly discovered compound. Changing the view angles, he could see how they almost melded perfectly. But something nagged him about the compound. He could not shake the feeling that somehow, somewhere, he had seen it once before.

At his home late that evening Dylan was at his desk terminal, in a regulation-issue t-shirt and shorts, going through his messages. He eventually reached the last vidmail entry and piped the audio through his earpiece. The head of a bald, middle-aged dark tanned human with a goatee filled the screen. Other humans in uniform could be seen moving behind him.

(Hey, Dylan! It's Ozzy. Glad to hear you're getting your bearings on your new assignment. Funny story about that escort recognizing your medic friend as one of her clients… about that blood scan you did… I had a few of my guys run your samples through toxicology and chem. There's no question about it: tronomide, a depressant. It's one of ours. I'd like to pass it off as an isolated incident of some space truckers trading and sharing occupational aides, but there are reports of at least three more instances of human drugs turning up in alien hands. We've managed to keep it low key so far. What's more disturbing is that two of the buyers were like your spaceport master: well placed. Looks like someone from our side of the fence could be trying to set up shop. Damn peculiar since human cartels aren't exactly in love with the idea of doing business with anyone sporting blue skin or metal faceplates. Poor Schacter's got his colon in knots trying to figure out how to inform the Hierarchy without starting another war. Turians are supposed to value chivalry and cooperation… let's pray this works in our favor and we can stop this thing before it gets out of hand. You stay safe, Dylan…. Heh, sun, sand and surf… I wish I could be there with you. Give my best to Hannah and Cady. Take care…)

As Ozzy's image went into freeze frame, fingers slinked along Dylan's neck. He turned and grasped them, kissing each one with his eyes closed. He then looked up to his wife standing behind him, wearing a black silken camisole and matching underpants, stroking his hair with her other hand.

"Guess you had a busier day than I did," said Hannah "Come to bed."

She caught a hint of Dylan's vidmail as he closed it out along with the terminal "How's that knucklehead Ozzy doin?"

"He's good, he's good. He sends his best," her husband responded.

"Mmm… anything else? I didn't hear his message so I assume you boys were talkin' shop mostly. Things I shouldn't know about?"

Dylan wished he could tell her, but then Hannah would rightly see the bourgeoning scandal as an affront to her late mother's work. His wife was reluctant to discuss Olivia's death as well as to be involved in the exchange program with the turians. Dylan stressed that they would both be together with their daughter for the first time in years - the Alliance's key reason for keeping enlisted family members together while stationed on Bysorrn was to showcase the societal values both humans and turians had in common. Yet what seemed to bother Hannah was not working with non-humans but spending more time with her husband and Cadrina. Still, she later agreed to take part and appeared to be over her initial aversion. This news could serve to spiral her down into a state that Dylan was unsure he could deal with in her, wanting only her continued well-being.

"… I'll take your silence as yes."

Hannah massaged his neck and shoulders to put him at ease.

"All right… so that I don't have to hear you lie… and we can both sleep the night… can you at least tell me in good conscience that all necessary parties have been informed… that everything is being done to make sure it doesn't ruin our time together?"

"Yeah… everyone's on the alert…" Dylan breathed.

"Good" Hannah leaned into his ear "… cause I'm dying to test the new Enhanced Courtesy Mode feature in this bedroom!"

Hannah tugged Dylan's arm, up out of his seat. She backpedaled towards the bed slowly, undoing the buttons on her camisole as she led her husband by the hand.

"What if it isn't totally effective?" he said. "Cady's in the house, we're still settling in… what if she hears us?"

Hannah's voice turned more seductive "Dyl… it's the miracle of mass effect field technology…"

She let the camisole fall to the floor.

"… you can hold a rodeo in here and she'd never know it…"

She gently drew him closer and lightly kissed his neck.

"You wanted us together… you said it'd be good for us… I want you… to show me… just how good it can be…"

Their lips pressed and slid about each other. His hands taking hold of her neck and hip, her leg crooked and draped over his.

"You should start slow…quiet…" Dylan whispered as his forehead touched hers.

She folded her arms around his neck, eyeing him lustfully.

"…it's a delicate precision machine… it needs to warm up… slow and steady, you know that… then… you can really put it through its paces…"

"…saddle up, cowboy…" Hannah exhaled huskily, turning with Dylan as they fell onto the mattress on their sides. All thoughts of duty and impending crisis were put aside for the next morning as they lost themselves in each other.

END

Author's Thoughts and Notes:

- Okay… slight pause while we cool down… hey, they're happily married and it's been a while since they've been together! Hope the end of this story was still within the bounds of tastefulness…

- Strond Vellisir is based on actor Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones)


	6. Babysitting Blues

Memories of Bysorrn: Babysitting Blues

_Hannah and Dylan Shepard have received extensive combat and survival training as_ _enlisted members of the Systems Alliance Navy. Their daughter Cadrina knows well the expectations and trials of living in a military family. Watching over an asari child named Ojarali Nocris, however, was never covered in any manual…_

Cadrina found it odd that her mother used the phrase "passing out sticks" – her code for adopting the posture and decorum needed when dealing with officers and dignitaries – in her vidnote regarding the Nocris family's visit later that evening. The Shepards and they had become good friends since the rescue at the beach over a month ago and appreciated that Cadrina was willing to take on additional responsibilities by agreeing to look after Ojarali three days a week. Still, Hannah wanted to make a good impression by representing a typical human home at its best to a non-human family. As instructed in the vidnote, Cadrina went all around the house checking to see that all unused power ports were sealed up and that any sharp-edged items were put away or out of a youngster's reach. The house was already pretty tidy and needed no more than some fluffing of sofa pillows, removal of stray articles of clothing and electronics along with light sweeping and dusting. Out back she keyed a wall-mounted control console to deploy safety matting over the pool. Afterwards, Cadrina went back inside and laid out all the required ingredients for dinner and dessert on the kitchen counter. Salarians and asari were levo-DNA based like humans so chicken casserole and vanilla-frosted yellow cake should not cause any harm other than maybe disagreeing with their pallet.

**1826 Hours**

"Hey, Dad."

Dylan arrived home after Cadrina had loaded a Bundt cake mold into the oven.

"Hey, Cadrina," answered Dylan as he quickly began going over his daughter's efforts around the house. Returning to the living room, he complimented her with "Neat enough to impress an admiral. Nice work!"

"Wasn't much to clean up, really. Cake should be ready in about an hour; we better get started on the casserole."

"Right...!" Dylan hurriedly hung up his black jacket on the wall rack and went to wash his hands in the kitchen sink before putting on his own apron. Working alongside each other on the main course, father and daughter spoke more.

"Your mother's coming over with them. She really wants this to go well so she didn't mind us making dinner without her."

Dylan stirred a bowl filled with a mix of cream of chicken sauce, chicken flavored rice, chopped parsley, salt, pepper and garlic seasonings. Cadrina carefully diced a couple of pre-cooked chicken breasts on a cutting board.

"She shouldn't worry so much. It's not like… well… some of her cooking doesn't have much of a taste. Other times she's a bit too heavy on the spices."

"She tries, Honey. She'll get it eventually. 'Til then…" He let his mixing spoon settle to one side of the bowl and lightly mussed her hair.

"Keep smiling and choke it down!"

Cadrina's lips skewed "You do exactly what the recipe says. How can you go wrong?"

He scooped her diced chicken into his bowl and stirred them into the mixture.

"Did I ever tell you about your mother's healthy skepticism of authority –and- instructions?"

"Dad, the recipe's written that way because it's the way you're supposed to make it."

She rinsed off a casserole pan, set it on the counter and sprayed an edible non-stick solution inside of it. "If they used Swiss cheese on Mom's pizza instead of mozzarella, she'd go ballistic!"

"She is particular about her pizza," he commented, scraping off the excess from his spoon using the side of his bowl.

"So she knows what it's like for us, then," she opened and drained a can of string beans into the sink "I don't see how she can be particular for herself and then not be for anyone else."

"I know… but it's one of the things I love about her," Dylan said with a grin.

Cadrina opened a small package of onion rings and laid them along the bottom of the pan, her father layering the string beans over them "… you're weird, Dad…"

"Cady, you didn't hear this from me but your mom isn't a fan of her own cooking, either," he explained "But she eats anyway 'cause she made it… annnd she takes pride in that."

Dylan stood over the casserole pan. Cadrina kept it steady as he tipped his bowl and scooped out its contents. Her brow furrowed as she glanced up at him.

"… before or after Tums?"

He set down his bowl to prevent spilling what was left as he shook and wheezed involuntarily, leaning against the counter for support. After settling down he gasped "A little comedian like your mom, aren't ya?"

"Sorry - I couldn't resist," shrugged Cadrina. "But I think I get it now."

"… Good. C'mon - let's finish up and get this in the oven."

They loaded the casserole pan into an oven compartment separate from the cake mold, then removed their aprons and went to work setting the dining table on the opposite side of the kitchen counter.

**1935 Hours**

"Hey, Mom… Mr. Nocris…"

Cadrina had over half the Bundt cake decorated as Hannah and Ialvid came in through the hallway.

"Hey, Cadrina," waved Hannah to her daughter at the kitchen counter. Ialvid cocked his head genially at the girl. Dylan shook his hand, gave Hannah a peck on the lips and stood by her side as the salarian's eyes scrutinized every piece of furniture and item in his view. He then briskly walked over to inspect the kitchen. Hannah was composed but her eyes glistened with concern as her guest made his rounds. Ialvid sniffed the air saturated with the smell of sugary frosting and the casserole still in the oven. His head cocked and bobbed slightly at the strange but pleasant aromas.

"Ah… the 'chicken casserole' you spoke of earlier," he said "Seems like it's coming along nicely."

He stopped to note Cadrina patting and spreading frosting. "And this must be dessert. It smells quite a lot like muba fruit - Oja should really enjoy this."

Cadrina appreciated Ialvid's praise but was still wary about his examinations. "Thank you, sir. Um, where are Oja and your wife?"

"They're waiting outside," answered her mother, "Ialvid's giving the house a quick once-over, making sure there isn't anything offensive."

"I took care of everything you told me to," Cadrina insisted.

"We know you don't intend any harm, Cadrina" Ialvid elaborated "A precautionary measure; an effect of my profession. You would be surprised at how something inconsequential to one culture can greatly disturb another. Physical gestures, music… even the color of a simple kitchen utensil can have unforeseen impact. But there's nothing wrong here from what I can see."

"Oh, that's right; you work as a xenocultural consultant," Cadrina remembered.

"I have reports due shortly. Try as I might Oja always manages to interrupt and peek at my research, which accounts for her current fascination with humans. But I can't afford many distractions right now…"

Ialvid returned to the situation at hand "I don't want to keep my family waiting any longer so I'll just need to see the lavatory and where Oja will be sleeping. I assume it will be in your room?"

Cadrina showed Ialvid her bedroom and the bathroom while Dylan took over and completed frosting the cake. Hannah in the meantime put on a pair of oven mitts and removed the casserole from the oven to cool at her husband's directive. The thorough consultant was assured by his human hosts that despite the proximity of the toilet to the shower/bathtub and sink that they were that they were constantly cleaned and maintained. His inspection finished, Ialvid, Hannah and her daughter went to unseal the front door.

"We have the Ialvid Nocris Seal of Approval!" announced Hannah proudly as she waved her remaining guests in. "Welcome to our home!"

"Ca-dy-y-y-y-y!"

Oja ran up from the lawn into Cadrina's arms, hugging her tightly. Eleya nodded to Hannah and lightly kissed Cadrina on her brow before going inside. The human girl carried the little asari past the entrance and set her down. Even with her best friend by her side, Oja was hesitant about going further inside this new place. Cadrina took her hand and led the way down the short hallway to the living room with Ialvid right behind. Dylan had greeted Eleya at the other end when Oja spied him.

"Hi, Mister Dylan!" she chirped, flapping her free hand about over her head.

"Hello, Oja!"

Oja released the human girl's hand and crept slowly to the center of the living room, her eyes widening as she gawked. She then reached into her satchel and pulled out a small, bright orange colored holographic camera specially designed for children and began snapping holopics of the furniture, entertainment deck and coffee table as if they were exhibits in a museum.

"Waaaoooow…" Oja gasped as she hunted for more items to capture "A hue-man house… it's like ours, Daddy!"

She pondered a second. "But… it's kinda small…"

"I'm sure it's exactly the right size for them, Oja."

Cadrina and her parents grinned as they watched the youth continue her exploration of their home. The prefabricated house was small compared to the spacious, airy residence Oja's family lived in. Ialvid passed on the assurances of the bathroom's safety to her after she also pointed out that the toilet should be in a different room and documented this concern in another holopic. A minute later she peered out through the glass doors leading to the covered backyard pool, snapped yet another holopic and asked if she could go for a swim. Hannah responded that Oja could not do so tonight but could on her following visit.

"Do other Alliance personnel have swimming compartments at their homes?" asked Eleya.

"There're one or two other houses besides us with one, that's about it" replied Hannah, motioning to Dylan "It helps to know a couple of people."

"Ahh, the privileges of rank." interjected Ialvid.

Oja put away her camera and stood on tiptoe gripping the edge of the dining table, peering over its edge at the casserole pan still cooling off. The yellowish tint of its contents did not look very appetizing to her.

"…uhhh, I'm not really hungry…"

"Now Dear, remember when they visited our home?" recounted her mother. "They had dinner with us and they enjoyed what we made for them. Cadrina even said that she liked your favorite dessert."

"You're gonna love the cake we made!" Cadrina added brightly.

"But you can only have some if you finish at least half of your plate."

"Yes, Mommy, "Oja looked to Cadrina and Dylan "You and Mister Dylan made the caster-roll, too?"

The two chefs acknowledged their work. Oja hopped once in place, clasped her hands and tucked her head between her shoulders.

"Let's eat!" she beamed.

**1957 Hours**

The Nocris family savored dinner and was well versed in human table etiquette to Hannah's surprise. No doubt Ialvid invested much effort in preparing his wife and child for their first dinner with these newcomers. Oja's timid bites from her plate grew steadily in size along with her delight. She had no trouble finishing her serving of casserole and sat as patiently as she could manage until her mother noted her accomplishment. Cadrina observed as Eleya caressed her daughter's head, commending her on her courage to try food from other species. Cadrina then eyed her parents who nodded their permission to serve Oja her first slice of human cake. As the little asari hummed in contentment with each piece of her fluffy and heavenly treat, conversation was exchanged.

Dylan's day was mostly uneventful: "It was quiet today. Only housekeeping aboard ship and a rescue drill. Kulz and I are getting along much better. We spotted a tharfin coming up for air alongside us but I was too slow with my holocam!"

Hannah was slightly busier: "A turian kid with a learner's permit froze up in his car in the middle of Shayse Boulevard early this afternoon. Me and Wulger eventually managed to get him over to the nearest curb. Poor guy was a wreck; fortunately the car wasn't. They eventually unsnarled traffic. His parents picked him up at the station. And they didn't annihilate him like he said they would. They were just glad he was alive and safe is all…"

Quiet, polite laughter from the elders at the table.

"That reminds me - we need to pick up more tissues."

Cadrina was occupied despite being off from school: "Well, the Sole Halibut game we're working on is almost done. All it needs is a little more tweaking. Steven act-ually likes my Sir Hedgemond fighter… after I kicked his bu- uh - beat him with it in a test match! I think people are really gonna like this game!"

Ialvid revealed a scant more about his current project when asked by Dylan: "A joint turian-salarian concern wants to market some vids to humans. The standard fare: dramas, comedies, documentaries. And some vids that-"

Eleya fixed a concerned glare upon her husband.

"That arrre nature programs… of a sort…"

Hannah smirked and snorted knowingly. Her husband tightened his lips and raised his eyebrows. Oja did not suspect what her father implied but her slightly more knowledgeable friend lowered her head and mouthed "ooooo-kay" as she took up her own last morsel of cake. Hannah mentioned Eleya's pregnancy to smooth over the awkward moment.

"The baby moved around some today," said the expectant mother, resting her hand on her abdomen. "We're still trying to think of a name for her. We don't want it to be plain but we don't want it to be too fancy or pretentious, either."

"I remember I wanted to name Cadrina 'Catherine,'" said Hannah "Dylan liked the name Karina. We wound up smushing the two together annnd – boom - Cadrina…! I liked it because it still sounded like 'Katie' when I called her Cady Ellen…"

She then stared in her daughter's direction.

"Until she turned six and insisted I call her 'Ca-dree-naaawh!'"

"Mo-om, I was too old for Cady Ellen! Even now!" Cadrina blustered "Girls with two first names - people think they're bubbleheads!" She rolled her eyes, flexed her fingers and alternately tilted her hands as she continued in a husky, mocking tone "You know, like 'Bobbie Jo-ooo' or 'Norma Je-eeean…'"

She touched her chin with an index finger "Or 'Cindy Lo-uuu!'"

Oja giggled loudly and Eleya covered her mouth to suppress laughter at Cadrina's comical gestures. Ialvid snickered quietly.

Hannah cocked her head at Dylan. "Well, what about your father's name: Dylan Matthias?"

"That's different. He's a guy! Guys with two first names sound important, like they know stuff and people take 'em more seriously. Dylan Matthias… almost sounds… regal…"

Cadrina's father lowered his head slightly and countered "I think 'Cady Ellen' is a beautiful name. And you are definitely –not- a bubblehead."

Cadrina relented and smiled warmly as did the others at the table. Oja continued to wait in her chair after finishing her cake, hoping that the adults would be done soon so she could be with her friend.

She was caught off guard when Hannah suddenly turned to her and asked "So what've you been up to, Oja?"

Normally Oja spoke openly with her family at the table after eating. Only when they had guests or were guests themselves was she expected to stay quiet until everyone was dismissed. Eager to participate, she thought of something to talk about that was more worldly and adult than playing with toys, vid games or creating multicolored pictures.

"Welll… my cousin Vemia moved to the City-dell. She sent us all kinds of pictures, even pictures of the Dest-in-ee A-cen-shun! If she passes her tests she might even get to fly it!"

Oja was happy to see favorable reaction to her contribution, Eleya bringing up her omni-tool to display some of the pictures her daughter referred to. Humans as yet were not permitted access to the Citadel so Cadrina, Hannah and Dylan marveled at the holopics of the immense expanse of the station's Ward arms, the docking facilities, the urban sprawl and the asari flagship Oja mentioned.

"I've only been there once myself," Ialvid commented "The scale really humbles you. It's a true testament to ancient prothean engineering."

Eleya tapped a button on her omni-tool to bring up a chronometer "Ial-viiid? Remember your project?"

"Oh, yes! Thank you, Eleya."

All present stood up from their chairs as Ialvid addressed his hosts.

"Dylan… Hannah… Cadrina… thank you all for the wonderful dinner and our thanks again for looking after our daughter. Now you have her toys and things, her bedclothes, safety seat for the –uh - facilities and our com codes in case of anything. I'll be back around 0630 Citadel Standard time to pick her up… now, Oja, you listen to your friend and her parents and try to stay out of trouble, all right? Can you do that for me?"

"I'll try, Daddy," Oja responded as she gave her father a parting hug and kiss.

"Thaaat's my little Starshine!"

Ialvid went to retrieve his jacket and Eleya's shawl as she cuddled and kissed Oja goodbye.

"Good night and have a good time, Dear. I'll see you with the dawn."

Dylan saw his guests out the front door.

**2030 Hours**

After Dylan and Cadrina cleared the table and washed the dishes, Oja sat snuggled next to her on the sofa. Hannah, seated on Oja's opposite side, brought up the evening news on the entertainment deck's wallscreen to watch with her husband sitting in the adjacent recliner chair. The newsfeed was configured to block out any material that could disturb the children, relaying them to their bedroom terminal for later viewing. In spite of this measure Oja still seemed apprehensive. Cadrina asked her if she wanted to see the Sir Hedgemond game character. She then crossed her left arm over her chest to give her friend access to her omni-tool controls, showing her how to view and manipulate the virtual fighter. Oja vocalized various strains and grunts as she went on to execute several combat maneuvers on a computer-controlled opponent scaled to beginner difficulty, Cadrina cheering her on and giving advice.

Once current events were assimilated, Hannah declared "Okay, guys: one hour and then bedtime," lobbing over the wallscreen remote to Cadrina "I think _Robin of Loxley's_ a repeat tonight. See if there's something on Oja might like - we should be able to get CouncilNet feed now."

"Lemme find something, Cady?" asked Oja, reaching over for her friend's hand.

"Better let me handle this," Cadrina refused as she turned off her omni-tool and started to punch in commands on the remote.

"But Daddy lets me use-"

"Oja? You're a guest, remember?" Hannah tilted her head at the young asari, who promptly apologized. Cadrina located the CouncilNet broadcasts and cycled through each channel slowly.

"Okay, let me know if you see anything you like, Oja… mmm-hm… okay… ewww, that can't be good… whoa - turian hip-hop…?"

Another minute of channel surfing. And then…

"OOH! OOH! STOP THERE!"

Oja sprang up on the sofa cushion, throwing her arms wide, and bounded to the floor. Before she could make another move she beheld Dylan shifting in his seat looking startled at his wife. At the same time she also heard a yelp behind her followed by a stuttering moan along with a loud "Oja!" from Cadrina. Her arms still extended, Oja's shoulders shrugged up and she timidly revolved to face the human females. The elder squinted as she rubbed her nose; the younger eyed Oja with a tilted head.

"Sorry-sorry-sorry-sorry-sorry!" Oja tried to make amends by bounding up on Hannah's lap and rubbing her head and shoulder.

"It's okay… no autopsy, no foul," Hannah breathed "Ooof… you got a right hook on you, kid…"

"Oja, be careful," scolded Cadrina.

"I'm sorry, but we're sitting all scrunchy together."

"Doesn't matter - you shouldn't jump out of your seat like that, especially with people sitting next to you."

"But - but…" Oja turned to the wallscreen showing an asari in concert singing in her native language "… I really love this song…"

"I'm fine, Oja… really…" reassured Hannah as she let go of her reddening nose and made a shoving motion with her hand. "Just keep an eye out for us, alright?"

The little asari began to imitate the singer on screen. Hannah and company settled in their seats again as Oja sang and pranced around. They noticed that she visibly held back in spots where she wanted to make grander gestures, preventing her from really enjoying the song. She was trying to be mindful of her hosts and the small space they occupied. When the song ended, Cadrina and her family praised Oja as she politely curtsied and sat back down.

"You're a good singer, Oja!" said Hannah, shaking the youngster's shoulder.

"Thank you," she half-smiled as she tucked her head under Cadrina's arm.

A few minutes later Cadrina tuned into another program Oja recognized: the middle of an old family-friendly adventure featuring a turian and salarian comedian as bumbling explorers on the trail of a prothean treasure vault. The humans found some of their antics amusing though the humor was tailored mostly for younger non-human viewers. As the movie played Cadrina felt Oja shift and squirm trying to get more comfortable. At one point Oja trotted over to her satchel. She came back and plopped down on her seat holding what looked like a remote with a small bowl at one end, its interior studded with evenly spaced grommets. Oja switched on the device and a three dimensional, transparent image appeared over the bowl of a crudely drawn animal she was working on. She tapped some buttons and slid her finger about on the holotoy's controls, adding more definition and color to her creation.

Hannah checked the chronometer on the deck "Almost time for bed, guys. Want anything to drink?"

Cadrina, eyes focused on the movie, asked for orange juice while Oja opted for some of the nectar that her mother had brought over as she worked on her picture.

"Comin' right up," Hannah rose from her seat, rounding the armrest on her side of the sofa and starting for the kitchen. "That's one orange juice for Cady and one purple juice for O-sheeeEEEAAA-T!"

Hannah's foot had come down on something that slid out and suddenly she went parallel to the floor before slamming down on it with her backside. Cadrina and Oja whipped about in their seats.

"Mom!" Cadrina cried out.

"Aghh… don't say it, just hear it!" Hannah strained, her husband having quickly rushed over to help her back up. Rubbing her rump with one hand, she looked over a small glittering tube in the other before showing it to the children.

"Brought back a souvenir from my trip - look familiar?"

Oja's face drooped. It was her tube of coloring crystals for making some of her paper pictures. It was absentmindedly left outside her satchel after retrieving her holotoy.

"I'm sorry, Miss Hannah," she mewed.

"Pleaaase don't leave your stuff lying around for people to step on?" Hannah gently urged as she dropped the tube into Oja's satchel and then lumbered to the cupboard to get glasses. Oja resumed fiddling with her toy, fidgeting more and biting her lip. She tapped a button to enlarge the image and add some finer details. Unfortunately the image expanded enough to interfere with Cadrina's view of the wallscreen.

"O-ja, come on - I can't see. I thought you were watching the movie. Okay, why don't we go to bed now; it's pretty much time any-"

Oja suddenly got up from her seat again and threw her holotoy against the cushion with a grunt before running for the front door, narrowly avoiding a collision with Hannah as she returned with the children's drinks; a small amount splashing on the floor. Dylan powered off the wallscreen and followed his daughter as she sped outside the house. Oja only went as far as the middle of the front lawn before collapsing on her hands and knees. Cadrina knelt beside the asari, taking her shoulders. Dylan crouched down opposite them.

"Too small - too small - too small," Oja panted. "Your house is too small… I thought it'd be fun… sleeping in a dollhouse…" She took notice of the evening sky and the soft yellow light of the streetlamps bathing the sidewalk and rows of houses down the way.

"Could we sleep outside tonight? It can be like we're camping!"

"Take it easy and breathe, Oja," comforted Dylan "We didn't realize you were claustrophobic."

Oja breathed steadier "What's 'klost-a-foe-bick?'"

"Afraid of being in small places," said Cadrina "Don't worry - you'll be okay. Our house is safe and we won't let anything bad happen to you… I'll keep you safe."

"… I still feel scrunchy…" Oja looked up worriedly at her human hosts.

Dylan lightly stroked her fringe as Cadrina massaged her small arms to soothe her more, both of them softly giving assurances. Then through the open front door a stately but gentle melody was heard that got their attention. It was enough to make Oja forget her phobia, stand and calmly pad back inside. Cadrina and Dylan were close behind, knowing this particular music was not any recording or broadcast.

Hannah was seated at the dining table, her back to the sofa, in front of a miniature holographic projector shining a transparent gold image of dark and light rectangular keys upon the tabletop. There was also a small grey rectangle placed at her feet that she stepped on periodically while her fingertips floated over and across the virtual keyboard. Dylan quietly pulled out the seat next to her and sat down, taking Oja onto his lap. Cadrina sat on the sofa armrest beside them. Hannah's eyes alternated between squinting and closing as she continued to play. Her head swayed slowly about as she felt each and every note, the seriousness of her demeanor a contrast to the comical look of the marginally swollen nose her houseguest had given her earlier. The song brought to mind a tale of two old friends meeting again after many years apart. They shared the joys and heartaches they had endured throughout their separation as the melody rose in volume and drama and then fell back to the calm and relief of the present day. The two friends had said their goodbyes and parted once more as Hannah rested her fingers on the keys, letting the last note fade into the air. After a moment's silence, her small audience applauded her. Oja stared at Hannah like she was a magical creature, hardly believing she could really exist. The asari slid down from Dylan's lap and tiptoed a few steps closer.

"What is this?" she gasped.

"Is-a called-a piano-forte," Hannah replied with an Italian accent before reverting to her normal voice, gesturing to her virtual setup "Piano for short. This is only a hologram version - a real piano would've taken up premium space here. I don't get to play very often sooo I'm a bit rusty…"

Oja's astonished expression along with the contented looks of Dylan and Cadrina disagreed.

"… You're realllly good at pee-anno, Miss Hannah…" the youngster quietly breathed.

Hannah nodded and smiled. "Thanks! Feel better now, kiddo?"

Oja was at peace but the void left by one urgency began to fill with another.

"… um, Miss Hannah… I have to go…"

**2120 Hours**

Oja quickly drank her nectar and then went to fish her cushioned child toilet seat out from her satchel, removing its plastic wrapping. Cadrina stood by the bathroom door with her glass of orange juice as it sealed with Oja inside.

Tiny footsteps and then a long pause.

Suddenly there was a splashing noise, a shriek and then whining. Cadrina quickly set down her glass and opened the bathroom door to check on her young friend as

Hannah rolled up to Dylan's seat. Cadrina staggered back holding her sides, spraying from both sides of her tucked lips.

"… sh-sh-she dropped her seat in the toi-let…!" she stammered out.

Hannah nudged Dylan's head with a curled up index finger "-This- is why I always tell you to put the seat back down when you're done, Dyl!"

A small voice echoed in protest from within the bathroom "It's not funny! It's con-tamma-naded!"

"I'll help you clean up." Cadrina went back in and grabbed a couple of wads of toilet paper to wipe off the seat and set it up properly for Oja to use. But as she started to leave, Oja complained again.

"Eww-eww-eww… it's all germyyy!"

"Take some paper and lay it over the seat" Cadrina demonstrated on one side of it. She left Oja in the bathroom to paper the other side and took up her orange juice to finish. Seconds later there was another shriek. Cadrina spun around to face and unseal the bathroom door again.

"Oja, what happen- Oja, what are you doing? No - Oja! Don't! Don't-"

A dark purple mass of cloth flew out the door and draped over Cadrina's head. Her parents did their best not to laugh despite themselves as she used her free hand to slowly peel it off, the scene reminiscent of an old sitcom. Cadrina held it outstretched and stamped her foot.

"Oja, put your clothes back on!"

"I'm not putting on my dress 'til it's been de-con-tamma-naded!" was the disembodied response from the bathroom.

"O-jaa…" Cadrina was beginning to lose patience. Her father interceded.

"Okay, everybody on de-con duty!" he blared as he hopped upright to his daughter's side. "I'll find something to get this into the washing machine. Cadrina, you help Oja in the shower once she's done her business. Hannah, you'll scrub up afterwards."

Dylan leaned to his wife and whispered "Just do enough to convince her. Don't go crazy."

"What if she can tell I half-assed it? Might as well go whole hog," she whispered back.

"… Cady and I'll help you," he exhaled.

Dylan studied the dress in Cadrina's hand "Not sure how to treat this material. I'll call up Eleya-"

"Please don't tell Mommy! Pleeeease!" pleaded Oja, on the verge of tears. "I didn't mean to splash potty water on my dress!"

"All right, all right! Maybe I can find something online. Nobody has to know," exclaimed Hannah, activating her omni-tool.

Dylan went to fetch a broom while Hannah scanned the dress and located care and cleaning instructions on the extranet. Oja, satisfied that she and the bathroom would be cleaned up shortly, repapered her seat and sat down.

Cadrina smiled proudly "See, Oja? We've got it all taken care of!"

Oja returned a chastising stare and crossed her arms "You have to wash, too, Cady. You're con-tamma-naded."

Cadrina dangled the offending article of clothing before hooking it over the tip of the broom handle her father extended to her "Uh, you threw your dress on me?"

The asari's eyes and hands fell to her lap "… oh… sorry…"

Cadrina stood guard at the bathroom door while Hannah and Dylan walked huddled together to the washer/dryer machine in the kitchen reading over the directions displayed on the omni-tool, the dress suspended in front of them like a standard directing them to battle.

"Germ-a-phobic, too" Dylan sighed. Hannah shook her head and huffed in agreement.

**2204 Hours**

The bathroom was cleaned and all were bathed, dried and dressed to turn in for the evening. After everyone wished each other good night, Oja ran into Cadrina's room wearing a pink sleeper. Cadrina entered next wearing sky blue, short sleeved pajamas with dark blue trim. Above her bed hung a large holoposter of Robin Hood leaning forward dramatically with bow and arrow drawn along with smaller pictures of some of her friends and travels beside it. A metallic blue jacket was draped over the chair at her desk. Stuffed animals of different colors and sizes, but all of the same species, adorned her bed and shelves. Oja admired the menagerie.

"You sure do love hedge-a-hogs!" she commented.

"Okay, so I think they're really cute," Cadrina replied sheepishly as she pulled down her bedcovers.

"Can I sleep with Murrie, pleaaase? I'm asking really nice this time?"

Cadrina located her prized salt, pepper and peach colored hedgehog on the desk and turned it in her hands. Opening a hidden zipper, she reached in and removed a tiny vial of fine powder; the ashes from her real Murrie, nearly lost when Oja took the toy replica of him without permission. She made a gentle fist around the vial and placed it carefully into the top drawer. Oja sat on a folding bed as she caught the stuffed animal Cadrina tossed her, cradling it in her arms. Happy that Oja would sleep content with her former nocturnal guardian to protect her, Cadrina climbed into her own bed and stretched to switch off the desk lamp.

"Ca-dyyy, we have to say blessings!"

The human girl glanced at her young houseguest "Blessings…? Oh right, prayers; sorry, Oja…"

"What's wrong? You don't say blessings? Don't you believe in the Godiss?"

"Well…no. I believe in something… not really sure what. If it can see and know everything you do, I figure you don't need to say blessings. Just be kind and thoughtful, helpful and the best you can be. That should be enough."

Oja patted her mattress "C'mere - I'll show you how!"

Cadrina crept over to Oja's side in front of the folding bed and knelt down, pressing her palms together.

"Not like that," Oja said quietly "You have to take your heart out."

Cadrina's visage skewed "Take your heart out…? Like… reach in and yank it out?"

Oja nudged against her friend playfully "You pretend, silly! Like this…"

Oja cupped her hands over her chest, keeping them together as she then extended her forearms outward. "See? You hold your heart in your hands for the Godiss to see…"

Cadrina copied the gesture "Oh… got it…"

Oja cleared her throat in dramatic fashion to establish that a serious ritual was about to be performed. The children closed their eyes and Oja recited her prayer with a solemn whisper:

"_Godiss Athame, we thank you for your wizdom and teechings, for your protek-shun from those who would ex-ting-a-wish the light you have kin-dulled within us and your mercy when our light leeves this wurld to join yours in the next. Help guy-ed us to live by your exam-pull and may our lives be worthee of you today, every day and a-pon our death… Godiss please bless Mommy and Daddy, Grandma, cousin Vemia, my friends Touk and Kale, Poosi, Jule, Qandi and all their mommies, daddies, brothers and sisters. And Godiss please bless my best-est friend Cadrina, her mommy Miss Hannah and her daddy Mister Dylan… and all their mommies, daddies, brothers and sisters. Yamin!"_

Cadrina opened her eyes, swallowed and rested a hand on the asari's shoulder.

"… that was beautiful, Oja. Thank you…"

Still whispering, Oja admonished "Ca-dri-naaa! You have to put your heart back inside!"

As Oja pantomimed returning her own heart into her chest, Cadrina feigned concern about missing hers and pat her hands all about the mattress looking for it. Oja reached for the space in front of her friend, gathered air into a hand and cleared her throat again. She cocked her brow at Cadrina when she finally took the hint.

"Thanks, Oja," the human girl whispered as she took back and restored her pretend heart "Don't know what I'd do without it!"

**2301 Hours**

Oja slept on her side, a smile upon her lips and Murrie tucked beneath her chin. Cadrina lay prone with her hands folded on her chest, eyes shut but not quite asleep. She took a series of quiet deep breaths and exhales practicing a meditation technique she read about earlier. Over the past few weeks she had been trying to attain a state conducive to making contact with her grandmother's spirit; an endeavor she kept to herself. Concentrating on Oja's prayer, Cadrina felt more serene and peaceful than past attempts, felt herself getting lighter and reaching further out. But she could not reach too far yet. Not tonight with Oja in her room. She hovered at this point, trying to memorize the sensations for next time…

A croaking sound broke her concentration and brought her back to full consciousness. Her eyes opened to her moonlit room. She looked over at her friend's bed and quietly called to her.

"Oja..? Oja..?"

"…mmmpgh… whaaat…?"

"Was that you?"

"…what…?"

"Did you burp?"

"…no…?"

"Are you sure?"

"… It wasn't me, Cady…"

"Okay, sorry… g'night…"

Cadrina pulled the covers up over her chest and burrowed her head in her pillow ready to enter a normal slumber. Then there was another burp, this one even louder and unholier than the first. Cadrina moaned and shifted in disgust. Oja began to giggle.

"Nice one, Oja. Real classy."

"It wasn't me!"

"Sure it wasn't – go back to sleep…"

"_Wasn't meee_…" Oja teased.

"… ugh…" Cadrina rolled her shoulders and closed her eyes again.

The burp sounded again, now much closer to her.

"Ewww - _you're classy too, Ca-dree-naaawh_!"

"I'm not classy. I mean I'm classy, not gas– oh, never mind! It wasn't me!"

Another loud burp.

The little asari cackled while Cadrina began to grow exasperated. It seemed there was no child, human or non-human, in the whole of the galaxy that did not find bodily functions highly amusing; at least when they were not seated on a toilet.

"It wasn't me, Oja! Honest! " Cadrina said in an annoyed whisper. Then there was another sound: a faint noise like something rubbing against vinyl.

"… okay, now –that- was me! But I'm not the one burping like tha-"

The burp resounded once more.

"A-HA! Told ya it wasn't me! I couldn't burp that way if I tried!"

The sound came from the foot of her bed. Cadrina slowly reached for the desk lamp switch, flicked it and quickly drew her hand back to stare downwind.

It sat there, perched on her blanket between her feet, frozen in place as she was.

A size twelve shoe-sized, pale grey lizard with dilated pink eyes and a blue throat stared at Cadrina. Oja sat upright as well, eyeing the creature. The tense silence shattered as the lizard croaked, expanding its throat sack to nearly three times the size of its head.

**2336 Hours**

Hannah and Dylan slept nuzzled against each other when they were suddenly and rudely awakened by the sound of frantic pounding on the bedroom door. They quickly pulled on their robes and rushed to open it. The room lights came on and a tornado composed of two children swirled in and around the adults, their hands drawn to their chests, bounding up and down like hyperactive kangaroos screaming simultaneously.

"Kulkura! Kulkura!" went the younger.

The elder was more specific "Liz-arrrd! Liz-arrrd! Lizard in my room! Lizard in my room! You gotta help me get it out! Help me get it out!"

Oja continued chanting as Cadrina swatted at both her parents' arms "Don't just stand there – help me get it ow-u-oooo-t!"

Hannah and Dylan looked at each other. The children stopped screaming but continued to hop in place, waiting for their answer. The human parents then began imitating the youngsters, bouncing along with them.

"Looks like we got a lizard problem here, Honey! What do we do?" said Dylan.

The group's bouncing unconsciously synchronized as Hannah formulated a plan of attack.

"Okay, I'llll go check out Cady's room… the rest of you… keep hopping; just keep hopping 'til I get back!"

Cadrina stopped bouncing, all company following suit. "Mom, I'm serious!"

"There really is a kulkura in there, Miss Hannah!"

"Cuckoo-rah?"

"Kul-koor-a, silly!" Oja corrected the human mother.

"Kookaburra, Cookie Monster, whatever – come on…"

Dylan gripped the children's shoulders as they tiptoed with Hannah across the front of the living room, stopping outside the door to Cadrina's room. The mother motioned for her followers to stay put while she proceeded inside.

"Be careful, Miss Hannah," warned Oja.

Hannah squatted slightly and thumped her chest "Heh - me find lizard! Me smash lizard! Me Hannah the Barbarian!"

She turned on the light and went in to look around while everyone else waited anxiously. Soon she emerged empty-handed.

"You sure there's a lizard in there? I didn't see anything."

"He's big, Mom. Can't miss him," Cadrina insisted.

Hannah scratched her head and turned to go back inside for another look, completely unaware of the passenger she picked up, clinging to her back; a passenger that Oja made out in the shadows.

"KULKURA!"

Hannah's head spun from side to side. Cadrina ran up to try and pull it off. These sudden movements scared the kulkura, making it scurry further up Hannah's back and burrow into her collar. Its cold paws made Hannah shiver and scream out. She frantically tried to reach over her neck to grab it only to lose her balance and fall on top of her daughter. The kulkura squelched and squealed, scrambling to find a new hiding place up past Cadrina's chest.

"It's in my hair! It's in my hair – AAAAAIIEE!"

Hannah spun about to help her daughter while Dylan dropped to his knees to try and grab the skittish beast. Oja dashed to the living room light switch and tripped it, plunging the area into darkness, making the humans call out to her. Cadrina felt the kulkura unwind from her hair, heard it hit the floor and then scurry away. Oja flipped the lights back on and found three humans staring at her.

"They only come out at night" explained the little asari. "Bright light scares them."

"THAT'S a kulkura?" said Hannah, picking herself and her family off the floor. "How'd it get in here?"

"… we left the door open when we went after Oja…" Dylan realized aloud. He raised a hand to gently cut off another apology from her.

"I heard it run somewhere in here," Oja swayed her head at the living room area. Hannah had Cadrina seal her room door with the light on. Dylan went to Oja.

"Where do you think it went, Honey?"

She shrugged, her hand still reaching to the light switch. Dylan crept slowly towards the entertainment deck past the recliner chair. A tail poked out from underneath it, tickling his foot.

"Ge-aaah!"

Hannah and Cadrina rushed over. Oja turned out the light again.

"O-JAA!"

The lights came up again but not before Cadrina tackled her father and Hannah tripped over an armrest, landing sideways in the recliner.

"Leave the lights on!" cried Cadrina as she and her family picked themselves up again.

Oja spotted movement behind one of the speakers of the entertainment deck. She jabbed her finger in its direction and shouted "HE'S OVER THERE!"

**0032 Hours**

The hunt was growing desperate; the quarry always seemed to be a step ahead of its pursuers. The living room lights went off and on a few more times before the humans remembered they had omni-tool flashlights. Still, they only managed to trip each other up more than corner the intruder.

"… Hannah, behind you! On the wall…!"

"… He's on my leg, Daad… !"

"…. Does that feel like a lizard, Dyl…? What're you two laughing at…?"

"… Get-outta-my-ba-a-a-ag…!"

"… Careful with that holocam, Oj– AGH, I'M BLIND! MOOOM…!"

"… Sorry, Miss Hannah. I didn't know that was your toe…"

"… No, Hannah. I don't think we should call in a grid…"

**0203 Hours**

The lights came up again after Hannah called off another bout of chasing, stumbling and screaming. Now Dylan was by the light switch; Hannah next to him with both the children's heads under her arms, hands over their mouths.

"Shhhhhhh…"

Hannah slowly uncovered Cadrina's mouth "… over there…" Hannah stretched out her forearm. "… I saw it…"

Her index finger angled toward the floor. "He's under… the sofa…"

Hannah let her discovery sink in with the rest of the hunting party.

"He's like a little vampire, running away from the light. Let's make that work for us. We'll use Oja's holocam, flash light under one end, flush him straight out the other end right into a blanket."

Cadrina questioned this strategy "But what if he breaks left or right instead?"

Hannah's face turned devious "…We're gonna fence in the little sonavabitch!"

"Mo-om!"

Oja also reprimanded Hannah for swearing, the mother's name muffled by a palm covering the little asari's face.

"Don't say it, just hear it!" Hannah rasped. "I'll stay here, keep an eye out… you three… qui-et-ly… go to your rooms, get blankets… then you wait by the front door, Dyl… we'll use the blankets to block all his exits… I'll catch the lil' bugger and toss him back outside!"

"Maybe you should… wait by the door, Hannah," her husband suggested.

"Ohhh no. He mocks me… and I shall have him. Go…"

Hannah's subordinates complied with her instructions and came back with blankets in hand. Dylan gave his over to his wife and went to the front door control panel. Cadrina and Hannah lined the blankets around the bottom front and back of the sofa while Oja took position at the end near the backyard pool with her holocam. Once everything was set, Hannah signaled to Dylan to disengage the door lock. She knelt down with her blanket spread open, nodding to Oja to ready her holocam. Hannah bent down more and peeked underneath the sofa. She could see the rigid dark silhouette of the kulkura poised to run at the first sign of pursuit. Hannah gripped her blanket tight under her head, slowed her breath and waited. Cadrina had nothing to do but kneel beside her mother in case she might need assistance. A minute went by. Two minutes. What was Hannah waiting for?

"… NOW!"

Oja triggered her holocam's laser flash, shining it under the sofa. The kulkura screeched and ran towards Hannah with incredible speed. But she had forgot to pull up slightly and ended up being disoriented by the flash, failing to close over the blanket. The kulkura bounded off the floor, skating over the blanket and down into Hannah's camisole. She rolled onto her back screaming and swatting at her chest. Cadrina reacted without thinking, shoving her hand in to nab it. It slipped out of Cadrina's fingers and moved quickly up her arm and into her pajama sleeve. She jumped upright screaming, shaking and shimmying as it crawled further inside her shirt across her back. The kulkura then poked its head out from Cadrina's shirt bottom as Oja aimed her camera and flashed again. Hannah, teetering upright, was blinded once more, missing the kulkura blow past her up the hallway.

Dylan hit the control panel and the creature ran out the open door, out of the house at last. Confirming that the lizard was indeed outside, Dylan palmed the door control and sealed it out. He exhaled with relief and walked back into the living room to the attention of Oja standing awkwardly with her holocam, Cadrina shivering intermittently between her panting and Hannah seated on the floor, her eyes blinking rapidly and watering trying to regain her vision.

"Gone!" he announced.

**0635 Hours**

After the fourth door tone sounded the front door of the Shepard home slid open. Cadrina eyes turned to slits as the morning light hit them. Her shoulders drooped and she appeared as if she were heavily medicated when she greeted Ialvid.

"Hello, sir," she yawned, her mouth stretching wide like a lion in repose. She clicked her tongue twice, unaware of the salarian's concerned expression, and waved him inside.

"…come on in…"

Ialvid could not believe his eyes. The living room was a shambles. The wallscreen barely hung from its wall, the speakers of the entertainment deck were knocked over. The cushions from the sofa and recliner were strewn about the floor. Blankets stuffed the bottom of the sofa and the dining table was far out of alignment with one or two chairs knocked over. Oja emerged from Cadrina's room and padded up to her father in her purple dress, satchel over her shoulder and slightly tired.

"Hi, Daddy…" She clung to his leg, hoping he would quickly say his farewells and leave with her.

"What… happened… here?" he forced out.

Cadrina tried her best to cover "We werrrre… just… playing around… roughhousing..."

"So you carried out that activity… literally!"

"Morning, Ialvid," groaned Dylan, shuffling out from his bedroom "… sorry about the mess…"

Ialvid felt Oja trembling against his leg.

"What really happened here?" he asked her pointedly.

"… a kulkura got in the house, Daddy…"

"And we had a pretty rough time getting rid of it," added Dylan "It took us all by surprise. Oja had nothing to do with it at all. She even helped chase it out. In fact, she's been nothing but a little angel."

"…an angel of death…" grumbled Hannah as she passed between them.

Dylan quickly wrapped a tense arm around her shoulder and cackled loudly to distract from his wife's sarcastic remark.

"Honey – heh, heh… now you're still waking up. We're both on duty in a couple of hours, soooo lemme fix us some coffee, okay?"

Dylan darted ahead to the cupboards to find some instant coffee mix. Hannah shambled over to one of the knocked over chairs, picked it up and sat down.

"Yea, coffee… for another fun-filled day of pickpockets, tourists and crybaby drivers…"

The salarian puzzled about her demeanor "Is she all right?"

Dylan warmed up the coffee maker and measured out an amount into the filter "Like I said, it was a pretty late night. This kulkura almost seemed to have it in for-"

"Coffee, Dylan…" Hannah interrupted.

Ialvid noted her swollen nose "…Is something wrong with her-"

"Coffee!"

Hannah's outburst startled Dylan into spilling some coffee mix on the floor. As he cleaned up the mess, Cadrina ran further interference.

"That was the only problem we had last night. We loved having Oja stay over. I hope I can still look after her like we talked about. We had fun… even when we were chasing that lizard all over the place, didn't we?"

Cadrina's awkward smile made Oja snort, grin and relax her hold of her father's leg. It was obvious to Ialvid that more had happened last night than anyone wanted to admit, Oja most likely being the cause. But it was also clear that Oja loved Cadrina; a bond that she and her parents wanted to preserve even at the expense of their own pride and dignity. Besides, there were precious few people other than the Shepard family who would willingly take on the responsibility of caring for his exuberant daughter. Ialvid concluded that dealing with the kulkura was punishment enough for them all.

"I know a reputable pest control service that can help proof your home against further… intrusions. I'll forward you their contact information, Dylan. Mention that I referred you and they should offer you a sizable discount."

"Much appreciated," thanked Dylan.

Ialvid took his daughter's hand "We'll be back again… soon… let's go, Starshine. Say goodbye."

"Bye, Cady," Oja crooked her arms around Cadrina's neck and squeezed. Cadrina patted the little asari's back twice before releasing her. She clasped her father's hand again.

"Bye, Miss Hannah. Bye, Mister Dylan."

Dylan waved from the kitchen as he removed the freshly brewed pitcher of coffee from the coffee maker. Hannah turned slightly and waved as well, smiling weakly. Cadrina escorted her guests out and sealed the front door. She returned to the dining table and picked up the one remaining overturned chair as Dylan sat and poured his wife and himself a much needed serving of coffee. Before Cadrina could broach the subject of whose turn it was to make breakfast, there was one other question she wanted to get out of the way first.

"Sooo…" she began.

Hannah and Dylan looked to her after they each took a swig from their mugs.

"A little brother or sister… no, huh?"

END

Author's Thoughts and Notes:

- Ialvid Nocris is based on actor/comedian Colin Mochrie (_Whose Line Is It, Anyway?_)  
>- The tune Hannah plays is "<em>Close To Home<em>" by Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer  
>- "Calling in a grid" is military slang for radioing coordinates for aerial or artillery bombardment. In war movies this tactic was employed to deal with snipers and other difficult to locate combatants.<p> 


	7. New Kids on the Block

Memories of Bysorrn: New Kids on the Block

_For years Mannikreck's enjoyed modest success serving Palturma Beach's residents and visitors. Now an unlikely new competitor has its owner trying to keep hold of a diminishing clientele while trying to do his part in welcoming humans to the galactic neighborhood..._

"What do you call… this?"

Queras Mannikreck contemplated the thin string held up by the fuming salarian customer seated before him. He knew all too well what it was, having fielded similar complaints from others recently.

"… It looks like a hair, sir…"

"And who among your staff… has hair?" the customer led on.

Two humans were working at the restaurant. One was an amiable, middle-aged fellow that handily carried out his duties and occasionally made mistakes. The other, in his late teens, seemed to do nothing but complain when accosted about his work which vacillated between satisfactory and rushed.

"I mean why – why do they allow it to grow and fester on their bodies? Temperatures on this planet range from balmy to sweltering so it couldn't possibly be for warmth! It's disgusting! If you ask me, these people haven't evolved enough from simi-"

Queras cut off the tirade with "I am terribly sorry, sir; I'll get you a new plate straight away."

"… g-oooo-d…"

The salarian turned away, tapping a fist upon his table. "If they can't be bothered to shave off their hair, I see no problem with shaving off the gratuity."

Queras shuffled away towards the kitchen behind the central counter with the contaminated plate in hand, looking about him. Fortunately no other humans were within earshot but even fewer seats were filled than usual. He had assured friends and his son Kale that there was no need for worry. Secretly, however, he feared that his business would not hold out much longer. A new establishment, Maya Pizza, brought in more customers with levo and dextro versions of the popular human food. Kale was sent over to find out what made their offerings so special as to make turian patrons disregard that they were made by humans, a species they supposedly despised. It would be wrong to copy the recipe outright, Queras determined. Besides, the human teenager boasted of working for a pizzeria in a city called Chicago back on Earth and had provided a recipe for recreating this style of pizza. Samples were prepared to be tried later today. Queras hoped the youth knew what he was talking about.

He set down the plate on a countertop adjacent to the kitchen door for a second to grab a purple and black filter mask hanging on the wall, affixing it over his face before going inside. Queras was a bit more sensitive to levo-protein aromas than others of his kind. His human employees likewise with dextro-proteins but nevertheless the elder human learned how to prepare such dishes while taking the necessary precautions. Presently the restauranteur found him on his shift in the levo section clad in an apron, tight hair cover and plastic gloves; the proper attire for kitchen duty. He paused a moment to observe the dark skinned human deftly cutting and turning pieces of meat and vegetables on a fry plate, adding dashes of sauce and seasoning.

"Holland…"

Holland answered between maneuvers, "Mr. Mannikreck – what can I do for you?" He saw the plate in Queras' hand.

"Soggy?"

"Hairy," was Queras' reply.

Holland absently rubbed his hair cover. "…god-dammit, Eric…"

"What was he doing in here? I banned him from the kitchen."

The human chef found a moment and confessed "I'm really sorry, man. I needed to use the restroom real quick and I called Eric over to mind the grill for a minute. Just one minute! I tossed him a cap on my way out…"

He tended the fry plate again. "I should've made sure he put it on."

"And welded it in place to be sure," Queras added. "Listen, if you need someone to cover you, ask someone else. If they're all busy, ask me or my son. Anybody but Eric; I don't need that yigith losing me any more customers!"

"Won't happen again, sir," the cook nodded.

"Eah, don't be so hard on yourself… you're only human, after all…" Queras winked through the clear faceplate of his mask, Holland chuckling in response. The turian faced the kitchen entrance.

"… some I'm not so sure about…"

Holland could hear Queras suck in a deep breath. He quickly set down his utensils and jammed his fingers into his ears just as his supervisor bellowed:

"LY-SANNN-DERRRRRRRR!"

Moments later a tall, light skinned, slender human came in through the levo section door. He stood with a slight swagger before Queras wearing an open Hawaiian shirt, a _Dutch Nelson, Galaxy Guy_ T-shirt underneath, khaki shorts and white sneakers. His mop-like black hair hung down around either side of his face.

"'Sup, Mr. M.?"

Queras held up the rejected plate and the strand of hair. Holland glanced disapprovingly over his shoulder.

"…dawshit…" was all Eric Lysander could manage, running his hand over his uncovered mane.

Oja arrived at Mannikreck's on this clear and hot afternoon balancing on Cadrina's repaired Skyboard, towed along at a careful pace by her best friend. The little asari's sundress billowed as she hopped off and ran up the main stairway. Cadrina folded up the board and carried it by its retracted guide strap handles, following her. Oja waited for her at the top and then took her free hand, starting for the table closest to the view of the ocean. Cadrina gently tugged, seeing that it was occupied, and directed Oja to the stools at the central counter instead.

"But we're gonna miss him!" she complained as they found and took their seats.

The human girl flashed her omni-tool. "I set an alarm. We still have some time."

"Oh, okay." Oja studied the faces around her. "I don't see Kale. Do you?"

"He said he had to do some research for his dad…"

Eric emerged from the kitchen with a dour expression. Cadrina hid her face, looking down at the countertop.

"…uh-oh, Dork Alert..."

Oja hunched down in an exaggerated fashion, hiding her face as well. Eric did not see them as he headed to an unoccupied area of the restaurant to clean and sulk in, smarting from yet another lecture by his supervisor. Cadrina had a literal first run in with him days ago when he and two of his friends were ogling asari and human females out on the beach. One attractive human with an athletic frame and a black, two-piece swimsuit had caught Eric's fancy.

The beauty turned out to be Hannah Shepard.

She quickly gave chase after he made the mistake of coming on too strongly with a remark about her hindquarters, followed by a light spank. He sped away, constantly checking behind him to see if he had lost her in the crowds. He did not see Cadrina out in front and ended up tripping over and collapsing on her. As he quickly stood up spitting sand from his mouth – on Cadrina, Hannah gained on him, made angrier by his extreme proximity to her daughter. Without a word he was off again. Hannah quit her pursuit to make sure Cadrina was all right. Later Eric tried to make amends but she snubbed him, still feeling humiliated and offended that he did not apologize the moment he collided with her.

The kitchen doors slid open again and Queras stepped through them. After hanging up his filter mask he exhaled and surveyed the premises. Spotting the youngsters, he brushed his hands over his stocky torso, dusting off from his latest confrontation with Eric.

"Well now; if it isn't two of my favorite customers!"

Oja waved frantically. "Hi, Mister Queras!"

Cadrina smiled brightly and held up a hand. Queras walked over to Oja's seat and leaned over the counter.

"Hello, Miss Ojarali… may I see both your hands, please?"

Eyes still on him, her head dipped as she raised them up for him to inspect, spreading her fingers. He motioned for her to turn them about.

"Nothing in my hands, Mr. Queras," she complied.

"I'm running low on demeul sauce. Hate to have whatever's left go to waste."

Oja's eyes lowered as she sighed "I know: 'sauce dizzpenzers aren't toys.'"

"Thaaat's right." He rubbed her forehead lightly and flexed his mandibles into a smile to show there were no hard feelings. Oja perked up again as he spoke with Cadrina next.

"And how are you today, Cadrina? I see you've got your ride back."

"I'm doin' good. Hernzo really knows his stuff," her head bobbing as she answered. "Thanks for telling me about him."

"They say there's no hunk of metal and wires a quarian can't fix or repurpose. Glad that's really true in his case."

Cadrina inspected her folded up Skyboard before leaning it against her stool again. "First he tells me I wouldn't get it back 'til he was paid in full, which wouldn'tve been for a few months at least. I go to his shop yesterday to check how he's doing… then he hands it over saying he's already been paid!"

Her head angled at the turian. "Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Queras had a guilty gleam in his eyes. Cadrina's past bravery and resourcefulness had impressed him so much that he secretly arranged with the mechanic Hernzo to cover the cost of repairing her Skyboard before recommending his services.

"I just wanted to thank whoever it was, that's all," she shrugged.

"Does it really matter who it was? You helped the community and so the community helps you."

Cadrina gave a knowing smirk "Oh, well… I guess I'll never know…"

Queras clasped his hands. "Speaking of help, I'm glad you two agreed to help try some new items on the menu today." He hurriedly jogged over to the storage area out back for a minute and returned with one hand behind his back, the other holding a blue and white colored box.

"Customs finally cleared them – a crate of these came in two days ago."

It was a box of Oreo cookies, Cadrina's favorite snack. Her face lit up.

"Whoa! Thanks, Mr. Mannikreck!"

"To be rendered upon completion of services… and also available at the snack bar," said Queras in a mock authoritarian tone, setting the box down behind the counter. Oja seemed a little disappointed. Queras brought around his other hand.

"I didn't forget about you, nolchei..."

Oja gasped. It took some trial and error for Cadrina to discover cookies the little asari really liked. And there it was, just for her: an entire box of Nilla Wafers.

"Gimmie-gimmie-gimmie-gimmie-gimmie!" Oja's arms stretched and reached for the box, her stomach pressed tight against the countertop. Cadrina gently eased her back onto her stool.

"T-t-take it easy; you'll have some when we're done!" she laughed.

Just then Queras could hear Kale call out to him as he walked up, his arms loaded with two flat, colorful square boxes and a travel satchel across his shoulders. Cadrina helped him unload his cargo while Oja greeted him and arranged it on the countertop.

"The line seemed to get longer the longer you were on it," Kale said as he set down his satchel. Queras lifted the lid of each box briefly to inspect their contents.

"I brought what you asked for, Father."

Queras regarded the convex-to–concave ends of the dextro pieces. "These aren't cut up like the pizzas in the vids … are these supposed to be little pictures on them?"

"It's their gimmick. Their pies are shaped and decorated like a calendar one of their ancient civilizations used. They're cut up into slices they call 'k'atuns.'"

"Back from enemy territory, soldier?" teased Eric as he came up on the group.

"Eric," Kale responded.

"Hey, Dork," said Oja.

Queras snorted, Kale shook his head and Cadrina rolled her eyes. The offended party glared upon the youngster.

"It's 'Eric,' you little snow cone!"

"Right – Err-ick the Dor-."

Cadrina gripped Oja's shoulder, silencing her. Eric turned his attention to the human girl who promptly avoided his gaze to favor Queras. Then he also faced Queras and waved his hand backward.

"I've finished up over there. You said I could stop by when you tried out the pizza."

Queras quickly relented, nodding his head. Eric turned one box about and opened it.

"So what's his secret? Marty Strenowic just switches out human fixins for the stuff you guys can eat? I mean he bombed when he opened up back home."

Kale gave his report. "Someone on line with me said that they look and taste like thracma wafers, a traveler's meal from our early colonial days. Faded as we spread out into the galaxy; very few people make it now. There's also an urban legend about a lost ship that crashed on Earth centuries ago, the Maya humans mistaking the survivors for gods. Story's probably not true but get this: one of the old Mayan gods was called Quetzalcoatl, a half avian, half reptilian being."

Kale activated his omni-tool and called up a hologram of one of the Mayan carvings showcasing a creature with a serpentine body and feathered mane.

Queras ran a finger over his own head fringe. "There is a bit of a resemblance there, isn't it?"

"Oh, so it's that and the old 'like Gramma used to make' ploy, is it?" Eric deduced as Kale switched off his device. "So Marty genes up turian culture, finds that bit, a light strikes, he remakes his recipe and sells the Alliance on it since we're all supposed to be 'reach out and make nice' and all. He hooks and reels in the turians and the other alie… non-humans and the Marines stop by like 'what's with the queue out the door?'"

"Then he brings out his old levo-based pizza for them. His corny gimmick becomes a big hit," completed Cadrina. "Pretty slick! Not every pizza place can say they get military funding…"

Eric seized upon the moment, arching and furrowing his brow. "Hark, she speaks… and acknowledges my input!"

Cadrina's eyes went to the floor. Eric moved closer.

"… I said I was sorry…"

Blushing and squirming, Cadrina tried to wiggle her way out of talking to him.

"… right on top of me… in front of everybody…"

"I didn't- see- you. I was kinda running for my life, remember?"

She finally brought her eyes up to meet his. "And why was Mom chasing you, anyway?"

"And how the hell was I s'posed to know she was your mom?"

Cadrina's stare burned into Eric. "… you hit on her…"

Now he blushed, patting an imaginary backside in front of him. "Yeah, I - uh… literally -hit- on her, yeah."

"A married woman! My mother!"

"Hey, let's be honest: even when she isn't breathing fire on –my- ass, your mom's still pretty hot!"

Cadrina's hands snapped to her hips, her head pivoting like a snake about to strike. "I should've knocked you back down!"

Eric reared up. "Are you crazy? She would've killed me!"

Cadrina hopped off her stool and flung her arms wide, sticking out her chest and craning her neck up at him. "Your point?"

Queras had his fill of arguments for one day. "Alright…! Eric: shut up. Cadrina: calm down. Kale: go inside and get the sample trays. Holland will show you where they are."

"Yes, Father!" Kale quickly rounded the counter.

"Have him come back with you. Tell Nethrid to cover the levo plate for half an hour!"

His son disappeared behind the kitchen doors. Oja's arms were around Cadrina's torso, her head pressed upon the back of the human girl's neck, rocking her gently to ease her down.

"Oja… keep doing what you're doing..."

The asari moved one arm to salute the turian and then coiled it back around her friend.

Eric rolled his eyes, mumbling "… course you take her side – customer's always right-"

"That's enough, Eric," snapped his supervisor.

The adolescent straightened up as best he could manage. Cadrina pat Oja's hands to let her know she was fine and climbed back on to her stool. Oja released her and returned to her own seat facing the counter again. The awkward silence was bordering intolerable as everyone waited for Kale. Suddenly the turian boy appeared again with Holland, each with two covered, grey metal trays. Queras moved the pizza boxes aside to make room.

"First, some levo-protein items for the snack bar…"

Cadrina rolled her shoulders while Eric crossed his arms, Oja's elbows propped on the countertop as Queras uncovered the first tray. A couple of plump pieces of golden baked dough were laid out on it, twisted into odd shapes. Various attempts to nail down the traditional pretzel form. Eric stifled a laugh.

Cadrina at least tried to be more diplomatic. "They – uhhh… look really-"

"I made them," Kale blurted out.

"There was some extra dough left over and I didn't wanna toss it," Holland added. "Kale figured he could make something from it. I suggested pretzels."

"… I'm sure they taste much better than they look." Cadrina assured her friend.

"They'd better," said Eric.

"Try them out," encouraged Queras as he set out drinking glasses and went to fill a pitcher with ice water.

Oja, Cadrina, Eric and Holland each took a pretzel oddly consistent with their own physical size. Oja chewed on and tried to figure out how her small piece tasted to her, eyes darting left and right. Everyone else agreed with Cadrina's prediction, delighting in the pretzels' fluffy inner texture and mellow, pleasant flavor. Oja swallowed finally but gave no opinion.

"Do you like it, Oja?" asked Kale.

Oja squeezed her lips together a moment and then nodded her head rapidly.

"Wait'll you guys try it with tomato sauce and mozzarella!" said Eric. "What else've we got?"

Holland removed the lid from another sample tray and set it down behind the counter. There was a small pile of what appeared to be chocolate chip cookies, but their surfaces were more granular than normal.

"They're oatmeal raisin cookies from a family recipe. I'm sure folks would want a few homemade snack alternatives."

"Fine with me as long as I can still get my Oreos," smiled Cadrina.

Queras offered the group glasses of water to clear their pallets. The humans and Oja each took a sip, not before Eric asked if they should swish and spit as in the wine tastings he had seen in vids. Queras groaned and faked a swipe at him, then waited beside Kale while the cookies were tried.

After finishing, Cadrina gave her verdict. "Hmmm… a bit sweeter than I'm used to but not bad!"

Like Oja with her pretzel, Eric chewed and pored over the taste. After swallowing he began to shudder. Holland and Queras were understandably very concerned.

"Hol… be straight with me…" Eric held up what remained of his cookie. "Did you use Haupmann's Oatmeal mix?"

"Yeah, I did," Holland replied uneasily.

Eric clasped his shoulder. "Cheers, man! I didn't think –anybody- could make that crap edible! This is a bloody miracle!"

"Raised on the stuff?"

"… let's just say I didn't have much of a choice of breakfast sometimes…" Eric remembered a certain institution he frequented that favored this particular brand.

Returning to the present, he pointed out Oja's scrunched up face.

"Looks like, uh, the blueberry's turning into a raspberry…"

Cadrina attended her. "Whatsamatter, Oja? Too sweet for you?"

The little asari's lips puckered as she shook her head in the affirmative, threatening to expel. Queras quickly handed over some napkins. Cadrina cupped one in her hand and had Oja spit out cookie bits into it. Cadrina then wiped off Oja's mouth and chin and handed her a glass of water to wash out the taste.

Holland sighed. "Guess they can't always be a hit, huh?"

"Hey, I'm sold," muffled Eric, his mouth full of another oatmeal cookie he helped himself to.

Queras had Holland and Eric cover up and take away the snack sample trays as he moved over the boxes from Maya Pizza.

"And here we are… first we'll try theirs. Then we'll see how ours-"

A rapid, high-pitched electronic beeping sounded. The turians checked their forearms, but neither of their omni-tools was responsible. It was the alarm on Cadrina's device.

"Sorry guys; just gimme two minutes - I'll be right back! C'mon, Oja!"

Queras allowed the children to scamper up to the ocean side railing, accustomed to the human girl's daily ritual; this was Oja's first time partaking in it. Cadrina curled her fingers around the warm plasteel bar, Oja situated in between her arms. Neither could see anything yet other than the occasional civilian water craft skipping by on the waves under the bright sun. Another minute passed and then Cadrina spotted the familiar silver and white arrow powering its way into view, buoyed by a frothing wake.

"I see his ship!"

Oja hopped in place. "Where? Where?"

Cadrina directed her finger towards her right. "Right over there…"

The shore patrol craft's lookouts were at their posts. Crewmembers were steadily walking across the deck carrying equipment and moving below. A lone human stood with the portside lookout who momentarily handed over his binoculars so the other could have a look. The human quickly handed it back and tapped the lookout's shoulder, pointing towards the shore. The turian then engaged his comset earpiece. Cadrina and Oja had been sighted.

Cadrina wondered what her father was up to this time as his ship came closer.

"MISTER DYL-AAANNN!"

Cadrina wrapped an arm around Oja's stomach. "Just wave to him; he can't hear you from way out there."

Cadrina and Oja each held up one hand high and shook them furiously as the craft neared the middle of its pass. Dylan stretched his arm over his head. Then a few other crewmembers, including the captain, stopped what they were doing to wave as well. Two of them had rigged a signaling banner to trace out Cadrina's name while they held up each end.

"Hey look, Oj- oh man….'Cadrina's' spelled with a 'C-ee'…"

Her lips pressed together, she held her arm still as the craft completed its pass and eventually disappeared from view, its crew and her father returning to their regular duties. Cadrina turned about with Oja to head back to the others.

"Eric!" Cadrina yawped out in surprise, her hand slapping her chest.

"I guess spellcheckers aren't covered in their budget, are they?" he said, having sneaked up behind them.

Oja wagged a finger at him. "It's not polite to spy!"

"Well it ain't much better to keep people waiting while perfectly good pizza gets cold, so let's hus-tle!" He thumbed at Queras, Kale and Holland in the background.

The three slowly ambled to the main counter but Oja was not about to let Eric have the last word.

"You better stop being naughty, Err-ick…"

"Whatta you gonna do, half pint? Yell at me 'til you're blue in the face…? Whoops, too late!"

Oja took on an impish look. "… or I'll tell Miss Hannah!"

Cadrina could not help but smile and stick out her tongue at her teenaged tormentor. Eric's lips bared teeth out of one side as he growled lightly, holding a fist before his chest. Once again he was upstaged by those younger than he.

"Zip it, Blueberry, before I stick ya in a pie!"

"Eric? Focus on pizza pies, okay?" Queras interjected.

His subordinate stopped short of the counter, saluting casually. "By your command, Mr. M…"

"Kale and I went ahead and tried the dextro slices while you were gone," said Queras as Cadrina and her young charge sat down.

"How were they?" she asked.

"I can see why Maya's so popular. The flavor, the consistency… he must have secured some top tier nutritional advisors from the Hierarchy."

"It's all right… if you prefer vegetables," commented Kale, trying to boost his father's confidence. "But I'll take your vaal steaks anytime. It's a shame you can't try any, Cadrina. It's Father's signature dish!"

"What about your pizza; did that come out okay?" wondered the human girl.

Holland rubbed the back of his neck. "Needs a little more work. It's hard to know if what you're cookin's good if you can't taste it yourself. Kale helped out best he could."

"At least it doesn't look or taste exactly like Maya's," the turian boy chimed in. "Eric's 'Chicago-Style' crust also helps set it apart."

"Damn straight it does, so nobody has to worry about lawsuits or anything. Could we pleeease try the pizza now?" Eric begged.

Kale and Holland moved up the levo tray and boxes while Queras cleared away the rest.

"Okay – just like before. The Maya pieces first…" the turian restauranteur instructed.

Cadrina regarded her "k'atun's" pictogram. "Mine's looking at me funny."

"I dunno if I wanna bite into a frog butt first," said Eric about his piece "Anybody wanna trade?"

Holland grabbed a k'atun for himself "Just eat, Eric – alright?"

"I'll eat the frawgh" Oja volunteered, presenting her slice to the human teen. "You can have mine, Err-ick. There's nothing on it."

Eric's brow cocked upward at Oja's unusually kind offer as they exchanged pieces. She bit into hers while he scrutinized his to verify that he was not about to be played for a fool again. Confident his slice was safe, Eric indulged. Soft, delighted moans and grunts were heard briefly from the humans before they caught and silenced themselves; this food was from the competition, after all. Queras understood and tolerated their honest reaction. The bar was set pretty high by Maya Pizza. If he could not be better than them, he could still strive to be different and regain some lost ground.

"Now let's try Holland's," said Cadrina.

Oja suddenly snatched her glass of water and gulped it down, which only exacerbated the burning sensation. She rapidly waved her hands in front of her tongue trying to cool it down.

"Haaaaaah-haaaaaaaah-haaaaaaaah!"

Cadrina asked Queras if he had any milk. The turian chef promptly poured and passed her a glass of a light green, creamy liquid as she cupped Oja's jaw.

"You all right, Oja?" she asked after the asari had a few sips.

"Too spicy for you, huh?" chided Eric "From blueberry to raspberry and now jalapeno - kid's gonna turn into the whole produce section before this is over!"

Oja relaxed, the milk having cooled her tongue and throat. And then a strange look came over her. Cadrina had gotten to know her little friend enough to know why.

"… you want another bite, dontcha?"

"Yes, please!" said Oja brightly.

"Oja? I'm glad you like it but I'd reeeeally like to know… what you think of ours," persuaded Queras, who lay in front of her a small, thick piece of baked dough topped with a comparatively thin layer of tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese.

Taking a cue from him, the humans each took a piece. Oja stretched her mouth wide but could not accommodate the slice. Cadrina used the bottom of her own piece to help mash down Oja's to where she could bite into it with no trouble, drawing a gentle smirk from Holland and an exasperated look from Eric. Queras rubbed his hands together while Kale rested a hand on his shoulder. The moment of truth had come.

Eric was the first to speak up. "You changed the tomato sauce, didn't you, Hol?"

"The sauce you wanted was a bit on the bland side," Holland defended. "I had a slightly better one in stock."

The teenager gave a thumbs-up sign "Good move."

"Great pizza, Holland!" concurred Cadrina.

Oja gave her approval. "Mmmm - I wish I had a bigger mouth!"

Both children started clapping, Holland taking a small bow and offering to shake Queras' hand. The stocky turian, in a haze of delight and hasty mental calculations for a full rollout, shook his head and returned Holland's gesture. Queras figured if he could sell his pizza at a somewhat lower price than Maya - and keep Eric's hair out of everything else - all signs pointed to a slow and steady comeback.

Queras reached down behind the counter and brought up Cadrina and Oja's cookie boxes. Oja snatched and tore open hers, audibly cramming and munching on her first two cookies. Queras' open hand was still held out.

"… thank you…" she mumbled.

The turian's hand then moved to pour and set down another glass of milk. "You're very welcome, nolchei."

"Don't I get a cookie?" asked Eric "It was my idea."

"Which is one of the things I want to talk to you about; be sure to see me before you leave today. Now give Holland and me a hand with this…"

Eric groaned as he helped clear the countertop before heading out back, Holland and Queras returning to the kitchen. Kale, thanking Cadrina and Oja for helping out his father, sat down next to the human girl and got in a bit of small talk. As Oja sat listening and eating, she noticed something odd. All of the pizza was taken away yet she thought she could still smell some. Sniffing about, she slowly lifted up the flap of Kale's satchel. Tucked inside was another Maya Pizza box.

Kale quickly pulled his satchel away.

"I thought it wasn't polite to spy, Oja!" Cadrina scolded before seeing the suspect item for herself. She then cast an eye on her turian friend, Oja ashamed for exposing Kale's secret.

"I'm sorry. Kale's bag smelled funny. I thought Err-ick was playing a trick."

"Uh-huh… or maybe you just wanted more pizza from Maya's!"

"I do not! Mister Queras' peet-za is yummy-licious! Even if I have to smush it-"

"Please!" Kale interrupted, closing up the flap. "… I-I don't want my father to know."

Cadrina giggled. "Kale, it's not like you're working for them… are you?"

"No, but… heh… I've always said that anything Father made was the best. That's true most of the time. But there are some things I like better but I keep that to myself. My mother… he was so disappointed that he couldn't be a soldier like my grandfather. 'Not built for it.' But he was, and is, a good cook. She told him that maybe he was meant to serve in a different way. 'A well-fed army is a victorious army,' she would say. So he got set up here, serving freighter and transport crews, making enough credits to expand his operation from a shack into this… it's his whole life now and he loves it… I know Mother would have loved it, too."

Oja slid down from her stool, walked up behind Kale and rested her head against his hip. Kale smirked, placing a hand upon her head.

Cadrina lightly took his shoulder. "Kale, I know you're trying to do right by him, but I don't think he'd take it too personally if he knew you liked Maya's stuff-"

"You don't know that! Running a restaurant is the only way he feels he's worth something. He doesn't hate Mr. Strenowic for taking away customers… and Martin doesn't seem like such a bad person. He looked pretty amazed at all the attention he's getting now. But Father needs my support. I start military service next year. He's expecting me to take up the business once I've finished… and I don't know if I can even be half as good as he is with this place. I don't think I want to run a restaurant. Maybe -I'm- meant for something else, too."

"I know what you mean. Mom teases me about signing up with the navy when I'm 18. But I like working with computers, helping people. I don't wanna go to war."

Kale's brow crooked as he used her last sentence to segue to a less troubling subject. "Are you sure? I've watched you play your games; you can be pretty merciless sometimes!"

"Yeah, she can beat anybody!" said Oja to back up his claim. "Once she even made her friend Steevin cry!"

Cadrina tried to play down the adulation. "They're just games, guys-"

"And you're good at them, especially that virtual archery game. You've got steady hands and sharp eyes."

"… I like Robin Hood." Her cheeks reddened as she looked down.

"This human, Robin Hood; he taught you how to shoot?"

"No, I learned archery at camp. _Robin of Loxley's_ a vid program I watch. He lived centuries ago and helped the poor by stealing from the rich."

"He sounds like a criminal."

"Thing is that the rich people he steals from are the real criminals. They got rich by overtaxing and exploiting the poor. The poor see him as their hero."

Kale shook his head. "So he breaks the law and threatens the social order in order to address injustice? I don't know if I can call that kind of person a hero."

"It's also action and adventure stuff. You'd like it!"

The weekly vid had found a new fan in Oja. "Yeah, Robin Hood always beats that Sheruff of Naughty-Ham!" She stepped away and shouted "'CURSE YOU, ROBIN HOOOOOOD!'" shaking fists on either side of her face, imitating the villain's famous refrain.

Kale chuckled. "Okay, maybe I'll watch… one time."

"At my place or yours?" Cadrina suggested.

"You can watch at my house, Kale," said Oja "Lotsa room for everybody!"

"If our parents say it's all right," the turian indicated.

Oja huffed and looked at Cadrina in a way that implied that his statement covered her as well. Cadrina nodded and panned her head about.

"Whoever's house is available, then…?"

Kale smiled in acceptance of the terms, his transgression against his father forgotten.

The sun was about to sink behind the horizon line. Cadrina and Oja walked back past Mannikreck's after a visit to another of the human girl's friends at her house. The last of the customers were leaving for home or other destinations as the staff closed up for the night. The children made their way further up the hill, stopping suddenly as their names were called out, punctuated by honking noises. Holland drove by on a scooter and wished them both good night and a safe trip home, looking a bit like a comical bug with his goggles and safety helmet on, his dreadlocks hanging down from underneath his helmet as he disappeared over the top of the hill. Standing in place, Cadrina looked back down on the restaurant. Queras and Kale came down the steps along with Eric. Eric then stood at the base of the steps as Kale climbed into a parked aerocar near them. Queras pointed and shook a finger at the teenager, saying something. Eric remained in place even after the turian chef climbed into the aerocar and accelerated away in the direction opposite the hill. Once the vehicle was out of sight, Eric walked a bit before sitting down at a short and solid curbside wall and pulled out something from his knapsack to look at.

Cadrina ordered Oja to follow her closely and quietly as she headed down towards the stairway, taking care not to be spotted. Eric was too absorbed to notice a human and asari child take up position behind one of the stairway's support pillars.

"Now you're gonna spy, Cady?" Oja whispered harshly.

"Blame Eric; he started it. Besides, I wanna find something out. Nobody can be a Dork all the time."

"Maybe -he- is."

Cadrina found an angle and engaged some buttons on her omni-tool. "Well, I won't know 'til I find out…"

A small screen popped up, using alternating mass effect fields to manipulate the air, tracking and bringing her target into clear focus. This unique feature was only available on adult, military grade omni-tools at present. Cadrina's mother cautioned her about using advanced features openly to avoid jealous and authoritative reprisals.

"Hey, omitools can't do that!"

"Shhh – this one can. It was my mom's."

Oja moaned softly with concern, now the keeper of two secrets about her older friends. Cadrina manipulated some controls and zoomed in. Eric held the folded object between his parted knees, his elbows resting on them. The object was a well-worn, old fashioned paperback book with a squid-like face on the cover. Whatever he was reading seem to placate Eric's former concerns. A sly smirk crept across his lips. Adjusting the focus further, she was able to read the book's title:

THE CALL OF CTHULU AND OTHER TALES OF TERROR

BY

H.P. LOVECRAFT

Oja tried to insert herself between Cadrina and her omni-tool. "What's he looking at?"

"He's reading about scary monsters…"

A small, drab, grey utility truck – Alliance-issued- pulled up on the curb. An equally small, drab man in his late fifties with a thinning head of dark hair and a blue jumpsuit with a grey jacket over it climbed out and approached Eric. Cadrina allowed Oja to crouch in front of her and share in her impromptu spy mission, tapping out new commands on her device. Oja contained her surprise, finding that she and her friend could now hear as well as see the conversation taking place several yards away.

Eric put away his book. "Ay, Uncle Ray…"

Ray folded his arms and leaned against the hood of the truck. "… What happened, Eric? You've got that look again…"

"… I…"

"Got fired?"

"No… not exactly. He gave me a week off to think it over. Said when I came back I should either take my job seriously or take my kit out of my locker."

Ray unfolded his arms to support himself further on the hood. "Jesus, Eric! Can you even –try- to stay outta trouble?"

"I'm tryin'! It's just…"

"Just what?"

"… I dunno… anything from Mom?"

"Not yet. But your father had plenty to say."

"I'll bet."

"He still thinks it was stupid of you to run."

Eric stretched out an open hand. "I didn't –start- that fire! Me and Boss Gene were fighting, yeah, but I'm no psycho to burn down his factory with him in it! Somebody had it worse for him and wanted the cops to think it was me. You think they would've listened to me? With the history I have…? I had to run."

"It's your own damn fault, Eric. Your little buddy Serge's got you into plenty of trouble-"

"Some trouble I got myself into, Uncle Ray. Besides if you really took Dad's side, you wouldn'tve taken me with you."

"… it's 'cause I wanted to help you… and I thought I could give you a new lease along with me. But now it looks like you wanna cock this up, too!"

"It's not easy, alright?"

"Like it's a walk in the park for me. But you, with those damn nightmare books you love reading and all those space games and comics you had around the house… I swear to God, Eric, you're the only kid I know who actually –loved- the fact that we were being attacked by aliens! And look…"

Ray gesticulated around him. "We're working with them now! So where's the mile-wide smile, huh? The 'Take Me to Your Leader' shit?"

"…it doesn't feel right…"

"Oh, so now you've rejoined the human race?"

"It's not that-"

"Then what is it?" Ray threw his arms out in exasperation.

Eric leaned in to drive home his case. "We're supposed to be with 'aliens,' Uncle Ray! Super scientific, intelligent… and look…"

He indicated Mannikreck's. "A restaurant? Lifeguards? Winos…? Cops…! They got cops and crooks, bullies and bitches just like back home… I… I thought it'd be something special…"

"No, nothing special… we're only on another friggin' planet, Eric!"

"Sure! And instead of being Captain Kirk, I'm Pimples McBraceface at the greasy spoon and you're… oh c'mon, you thought it was gonna be great, too, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did," Ray nodded "But lucky for us, it isn't."

"Wait a minute - you actually like your dock job?"

"I do now… after I found out I didn't have to have any weird alien voodoo done to me! No eating gloop, no weird implants, no learning a new language - a little –removable- earpiece handles that… no learning curve. Just dive right in and carry on like normal despite the natives. Any problems, you talk to the humans with the guns. Let them handle diplomacy. Besides, you'll see plenty enough weird shit at the docks, believe me! The stuff they bring in from other places… I didn't think smells like that were possible!"

Eric laughed at his uncle's unique perspective on humanity's first joint venture with alien species. Ray placed his hands in his pockets, exhaled and went on.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to these turian guys. Sumpin' bout their voices just give my ears a bad buzz. Never mind they look like armored cockatoos!"

Eric gently explained "Their planet gets more UV rays than ours. That metal skin protects 'em."

Ray threw his arms up again. "Sunblock, for Chrissake…!"

He then paused in thought and began snickering "Could-could you imagine walkin by some parked car late at night, hearing two of 'em go at it…? It… must… sound like cast-a-n-nets…!"

Eric folded his own arms in disbelief at his uncle's segue into turian sexuality. "… you're a sick man, Uncle Ray…"

"And you with your blue chicks who really can sleep with anybody," Ray fired back. "Seriously, Honey - pick a species and gender and maybe we'll talk!"

Ray paused again and made a face, a "you know I'm right" face, waiting for his nephew's composure to fail completely which it did in no time. Then he joined in the laughter. At times it looked like the two humans would collapse on the ground. But they kept their equilibrium and soon enough were quiet again.

"C'mon," Ray waved Eric into the truck "Since you've got some free time now, you can do more constructive things like cleanin' up your room and making our little tinfoil condo a bit more livable."

Eric climbed into the passenger side. "But doesn't it remind you of your wonderful job at the docks?"

Ray slammed his door shut prompting Eric to do likewise. "Eric: never bring your work home with you. I deal with crates all day long…"

He energized and revved the truck's drive core. "Coming home to sleep in one… that's more irony than I'm willing to take…"

The noise from the drive made it difficult for Cadrina to discern any more of their conversation. Adjusting settings became a moot point as the truck drove away. She switched off her omni-tool and stood up with Oja, having second thoughts about learning a bit more about Eric than she bargained for. He gravitated towards trouble, enough to even be accused of murder. Most likely he would end up in a life of crime or a short-lived one; definitely not someone to associate closely with. She did not care for his attitude towards Queras or his wisecracks, either, yet she felt compelled to want to know him better, to even risk getting in trouble herself. As if there was something in him that was waiting for her to discover, something he did not know he had or was trying to deny. It was an unusual new feeling inside her that she could not quite place…

"So Err-ick's here because people think he made a fire to kill people? And what were they saying about tury-ens? And blue 'chiks?' Did that man mean people like me?"

"It was adult stuff they were talking about, Oja" said Cadrina, trying to quickly dissuade further questioning. "Stuff you shouldn't hear 'til you're older."

"But we did hear it 'cause we were SPY-ING!"

Cadrina's index finger crossed her lips. "Shhh! I know, I know… I'm sorry…"

"Well… is Err-ick a Dork all the time? The man sounded like he doesn't like tury-ens or asari… maybe Eric doesn't like me, either. But the man said Err-ick likes aley-ens…"

Cadrina thought a few seconds.

"I dunno about the man… but I think Eric's… just a little… disappointed. I don't think he really hates you or Mr. Mannikreck. Why work for him if he did…? It's weird; some humans really wanted turians, asari and other non-humans to be way different from us and some didn't. And they are… and they're not…"

"How are we different… or not different?"

"I think…" Cadrina grasped her left wrist "It's like my omni-tool and all the stuff it can do that most others can't. It's amazing to you, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it's not really for me because I'm used to having it and knowing what it can do. I thought it was cool at first, Mom trusting me and giving me her old omni-tool that she used as a code-tech specialist. But I got used to it."

"Soooo Err-ick really doesn't like that tury-ens and non-hue-mans don't think they're special, like Err-ick does?"

"Yeah… something like that…"

"But Err-ick called me all those names-"

"That was just light teasing. We were teasing him, too, remember? You called him a Dork instead of by his name!"

"Because you called him a Dork first for trying to squash you!"

"… yeah, I did, didn't I?" Cadrina knelt down again to face Oja. "It really was all my fault… I started it…"

Oja cradled Cadrina's head. "I forgive you, Cady. I'll ask the Godiss to forgive you, too."

Cadrina pat the asari child's back. "Thanks, Oja," The fading daylight made her check her omni-tool's chronometer.

"Whoa, we better get home before Mom and Dad do!"

The children ran up to the top of hill and past, stopping when Oja suddenly had the idea of towing Cadrina along home on the Skyboard. Cadrina agreed on the condition that they would stop before they hit a downward slope, about a minute's walk from where they were. Cadrina unfolded her Skyboard and slipped her feet into its sockets, bending down and extending a guide strap for Oja to hold. She hoped their little misadventure in eavesdropping wouldn't adversely affect Oja's attitude towards humans. And though she had a better grasp on the banter between Eric and his uncle, Cadrina was also in no hurry to grow up. Time enough for adulthood and its concerns when it came. For now, she was happy being a child.

"Okay… mush!" Cadrina commanded as the Skyboard let out a hiss and levitated. Oja immediately squatted down and folded herself into a ball.

"I meant pull me forward, Oja."

"So say 'pull me forward!'" Oja blurted as she popped upright. "Why tell me to 'mush?'"

"That's what dog sled drivers shout when they want their dogs to run."

Oja put her arms akimbo. "I'm not a dawg, Cady!"

"… just joking, Oja," Cadrina sighed. "I know you're not a dog."

"And you're not tee-zing me?"

"… no…"

"Okay," Oja tightened her hold on the guide strap and spun about. Cadrina steadied herself upon her Skyboard and thrust an index finger outward.

"All right… fore-warrrd!"

"Mush-innnng!" Oja jogged at a light clip, pulling her friend along.

END

Author's Thoughts and Notes:

- Michael Chiklis (_The Shield, Vegas_) was the basis for Queras Mannikreck. Queras is a touch heftier than your standard turian. I know, I know: turians don't get fat. But he's about as portly as turians will ever get. Asari, quarians, and batarians on the other hand… salarian weight problems of course are almost unheard of due to their accelerated metabolisms.

- Dante Basco (_Hook, Avatar: The Last Airbender _– voice of Prince Zuko) was the basis for Kale Mannikreck. He has a more normal, slender build for a fourteen year old turian male.

- Dean Stockwell (_Quantum Leap, Galactica_) was the basis for Eric's uncle Ray.

_- Dutch Nelson: Galaxy Guy_ is a CGI cartoon parody of a science fiction movie preview you can find on YouTube. In _Memories of Bysorrn_, it exists as a cult TV show.

- Yigith (YEE-GITH): turian word for "dope" or "knucklehead"

- Nolchei (NULL-SHAY): turian equivalent of "sweetheart"

- David Anderson's bio says that he was born and raised in London, yet when he is heard speaking he has no English accent to reflect this. In coming up with Eric Lysander, I thought it would be funny to play with this. Eric grew up in the Chicago megalopolis and had never set foot outside the North American Territories, yet his speech tends to reflect British slang due to his mother's influence even though he also doesn't have an accent.


	8. An Evening at Home (Games)

Memories of Bysorrn: An Evening at Home (Games)

_The young of all intelligent species play games of varying complexity. The rules of many can be explained and comprehended by others. However some games can only be understood by those who play them…_

Dylan thanked the Systems Alliance serviceman for bringing him to his street as he climbed out of the transport, no problem since the driver had business along this route anyhow. He said goodbye and the side door to his transport rolled shut and the vehicle drove off leaving behind a wispy, low cloud of dust. Dylan walked at a steady clip enjoying the reddening and darkening of the sky above as evening approached, the houses around him standing against it in silhouette. Hannah apologized for not being able to pick up him up today; her expertise as a coder was requested to help resolve trouble with one of the police station's servers and it looked as if she would be some time. Her parting quip about making it up to him with a shower for two sent tingles down his spine and a grin across his lips; both faded as his house came into view. The porch lights were not up yet; they were set to trigger one minute before the street lights. Dylan came up to the front door, sounded the bell tone to alert the children, keyed in the access code and went inside.

The living room lights were on and the door to Cadrina's room was open. He could hear his daughter counting upwards from inside. Dylan hung his jacket on the wall rack and stood in place, looking and listening for the other child the slow count was meant for. When Cadrina reached twenty a blue face popped up from behind the sofa and quickly tiptoed over to him seeking his help.

"Mister Dylan! Mister Dylan! You hafta hide me!" she whispered.

The amused father knelt down. "What's wrong, Oja?"

"… the Tickle Monster's after me…."

Dylan stroked his beard. "Tickle Monster, eh? Sounds serious." Then, while crouched low, he led her behind the recliner chair. "There're lots of different kinds, though. If I'm gonna help you I need to know a little more. Like, how tall is it?"

Oja moved her hand high above her head. "That big!"

"Mmmm, that's pretty big. Does it have blue eyes?"

The little asari nodded rapidly.

"Does it have hair like mine? Down to here?" Dylan stroked the sides of his neck with his fingers.

"… uh-huh…"

"… and likes a certain black and white cookie?"

"Uh-huh," she chuckled.

Dylan held Oja's shoulders. "Oja, you're in luck! I happen to know this Tickle Monster…"

"_Here I coooome, O-jaaaa!" _came Cadrina's voice from within her room, trying to sound eerie. "_Kul-kura burp and hedgehogs' pri-ckle, I seek a little one who needs a tic-kle_!"

Cowering behind the recliner's armrest with Dylan, Oja continued to plead. "Once she tickled me so bad I almost wet myself!"

Dylan took on a heroic tone. "Well, that won't happen while I'm here. Stay behind me."

Oja followed his instruction. Calmly he moved towards the rear of the chair while Cadrina crept out of her room at the same slow pace. Her hands were raised to her shoulders, fingers curling and stretching. She dropped her mock scary face and returned her father's silent "hello" but maintained the suspenseful mood. She inched closer to the recliner, breathing loudly.

"_Now where can she be...?"_

"… Mister Dylan…" Little hands tugged at his shirt from behind.

"It's okay," he reached back and assured the damsel. "I've got this."

Cadrina slinked even closer to Oja's hiding place.

"What are you gonna do? Feed her cookies? Tickle her back?"

"No." He prepared to act. "There's a better way to handle this monster…"

Cadrina was now in front of the recliner. Dylan felt Oja pressing harder against his back. Suddenly Dylan sprang to his feet, hopped out in front of his daughter and put his arms akimbo.

"HA-HAA!" he declared.

Cadrina mimicked her father, standing with her chest out and her hands on her hips shouting "HA-HAA!"

They were silent and motionless for a moment. Oja's supported herself on the recliner's arm and watched, waiting for anyone's next move.

Then Dylan leaned forward. "Ha-haah?"

Cadrina leaned forward also, her head nearly touching his. "Ha-haah?"

He jumped back and folded his arms. "Hahaah!"

She did the same. "Hahaah…!"

He bent his knees as if he were sitting on an invisible chair, crossing a leg over one. "Heh-hehhh!"

She adopted his posture with no trouble. "Heh-hehh!"

The two humans continued to pose and lean in odd ways, at times using the wall, all the while speaking only in laughter. Oja was dumbfounded at their antics and their seeming to have forgotten all about her. Dylan managed to spare Oja another vigorous tickling. But by acting insane? And Cadrina thought nothing of it and just played right along. The door tone sounded once again. Dylan and Cadrina ceased their bizarre exchange and hunched over conspiratorially, massaging their hands.

"Well played, Father," she sneered.

"Until next time, Daughter," he creaked in reply.

The pair reverted to their normal personas in time to welcome Hannah home with enthusiastic embraces and kisses as she entered the living room.

"Heya, Oja," she said after her family gave her space again.

Oja did not say a word, looking at Hannah in the same perplexed manner as when Dylan engaged Cadrina in that strange duel. There was a very good chance she would topple over if her head tipped any farther.

After dinner Hannah walked Oja to her home, holding her hand on the illuminated street. Oja would usually pass this time by talking about things she did or learned or asking about how many criminals Hannah and her krogan partner apprehended on that day. This night she had nothing to say and just kept walking. Hannah would have to do the talking this time around.

"You're pretty quiet, Oja. Something wrong?"

Oja thought about how best to articulate what was bothering her without making her best friend look bad in her mother's eyes. Unable to do so, she came right out with "I was playing with Cady… and Mister Dylan came in. I asked him to help hide me. Then before Cady could catch me…"

She hesitated. "They started… act-ing… "

"Like a couple of goofballs?" Hannah guessed.

"Yeah - how did you-"

"I have to live with those two, you know? What were they doing exactly?"

Oja looked ahead. "They kept moving and standing funny ways. And all they would say was 'Ha-Haaa, Ho-Hooo, Hee-Heeee.'" Oja's face, teeth and eyes widened, squeezed and stretched to illustrate each sound.

Hannah laughed heartily. "They've been playing that game ever since she was six years old!"

Oja looked back up at her. "What game?"

The human mother swiveled her head. "I dunno if they even have a name for it. I call it the Ha-Ha game."

"How do you play Ha-Ha?"

"They made it up… best as I can figure it starts when one of them stands in front of the other with their hands on their hips and says 'Ha-Ha!' like they're challenging the person. Then the other accepts the challenge by putting their hands on their hips and saying 'Ha-Ha!' From there, the person who started it goes into different poses and then laughs to challenge the other person to see if they can't pose the exact same way. If they can, they laugh back and then the first person tries to find a new pose."

"And you win if the other person can't do your pose?"

"I guess. Neither of them ever 'lost.' They always stop before anyone walks in on them. I have seen them mess up but then they keep going."

"You lose if you make a mistake; that's not right," Oja frowned. "And why can't they say 'now you try it'? Why do they have to laugh?"

"Oja, that's the best I've got. Take it or leave it," said Hannah, popping her shoulders up.

The Nocris house was a wide and low-set, two-story home lit strategically to bring out its amber, wood-like construction and oval curvature. It resembled a ski lodge from Earth out of place in the much warmer climes of Bysorrn. Oja ran ahead up to the front door and began jumping and waving excitedly, announcing her presence on the motion sensor-activated chimes and the vidcam. Hannah lowered herself down to say goodbye to the little asari as the door slid open revealing Ialvid and Eleya. Oja rapidly clapped both hands over her speckled cheeks tightly, refusing to move them in spite of Hannah's efforts.

"O-Oja, come on – what gives?" she laughed.

"Uh-uh… you're gonna pinch them. You –always- pinch them… and it's annoying…"

Hannah glanced up at Oja's parents momentarily and winked to let them know she meant no harm.

"If you keep them covered up I can't kiss them, either…"

"Well… that's the best I've got, Miss Hannah. Take it or leave it!" Oja refuted proudly, using the human mother's words against her.

Hannah moaned and pointed the corners of her mouth downward in pretend disappointment, her shoulders slumping. Oja was not persuaded and her hands remained firmly in place. Hannah then gingerly placed her own hands over Oja's, leaned forward and kissed the child upon her forehead. She began to back away but then quickly but gently grasped Oja's nose between a thumb and forefinger and shook it.

"G-NNIIIIIIIGHT, Oja!"

"Owww…" Ialvid and Eleya tittered silently as Oja slid her hands to her nose, leaving her cheeks vulnerable to Hannah. "Ooooh - not fair! Not fair!"

Hannah cupped and rubbed Oja's cheeks after squeezing them. "… 'Night, you little Smurf…"

"I am NOT a Smurf," stated Oja, having been educated on the mythical cartoon creatures by Cadrina. "Smurfs are only three apples high. I am…" She did a quick count on her fingers. "Bigger than three apples!"

"You certainly are," said Hannah, standing upright.

"Good night, Hannah," smiled Eleya and Ialvid as they guided Oja inside.

Hannah nodded and smiled back. She waited a second or two after the front door sealed up before starting back for her own house, letting her mind drift over her latest conversation with Oja. She remembered when Cadrina was younger. She had been watching an old vid, a cartoon of a cat and a mouse named _Tom and Jerry_. In one scene they were flipping a door end over end, alternately pinning each other beneath it. The cat and mouse each gave a triumphant laugh when they believed they had the other trapped only to have the door flip over again. Cadrina laughed along with the cat. Then Dylan popped up behind her and went along with the mouse holding his hands up, pretending he was over the door. Father and daughter went back and forth following the cartoon and the Ha-Ha game was born. It would be one of several ways they bonded with each other over the years.

_Goofballs, _thought Hannah.

As she came up to her front door, she mused over what games she could invent with her husband while in the shower later that night.

END

Author's Thoughts and Notes:

I had this scenario in mind for a while and couldn't figure out where to put it in other stories. I decided finally that it could stand on its own as a nice "snapshot" of life with the Shepard family. I have a few other snapshots that I'll try to write up in the future to splice in between the regular stories. Hope you liked it!


	9. On the Beat

Memories of Bysorrn: On the Beat

_Officers_ _Deveg Wulger and Hannah Shepard patrol the streets of Palturma Beach, responding to various alerts. In her efforts to maintain law and order she will find that humans and non-humans have more in common then they fear…_

1038 HOURS  
>PETTY THEFT<p>

The panicked salarian, stubbing his toe, tumbled and popped upright in the alley corner with a massive shadow looming over him. Half-screaming, half-cackling as he caught wind of his pursuer, he darted off with his small bag further into the recesses.

A deep, resonant voice called out. "Do you see him?"

An auburn-haired, blue-clad human patrol officer skidded to a halt where the salarian had stood.

"… I see a little dust cloud - he went past another turn!" said Hannah Shepard, peering down the way and hooking a thumb into her belt.

The shadow caught up to her side and revealed itself as the hulking krogan Deveg Wulger. "Service alley - if the all the access doors are closed it's a dead end. Let's go!"

The two officers jogged towards the second corner when Hannah suddenly grunted and cursed, hopping over to one side. Massaging her ankle she spotted a small rectangular object on the ground. She limped over quickly and picked it up.

"The hell is this?" she asked Wulger as they resumed their pursuit.

The krogan glanced at the item in his partner's hands. "Looks like a self-sealing stem bolt. Our suspect must've dropped it."

"What's it for?"

"Beats me," he panted.

Hannah's fiddling with the stem bolt deployed short silver studs on either end, retracting after a second or so.

"I love these guys - why can't they ever steal anything useful?" she quipped as she fooled more with the recovered merchandise, discovering what needed to be pressed to extend the studs at will.

A metallic slamming noise came from around the corner. Wulger held up a hand to stop Hannah's advance, directing her attention to the area ahead. It was indeed a dead end with every portal and gate in sight sealed. Only a couple of waste bins, storage crates and assorted scraps were present. The crate Wulger pointed to had an access light that stopped blinking; if their suspect had gone the other way he would have been seen. He would have also been able to bound up onto a bin and over the main alley gate to escape.

Hannah pocketed the stem bolt. "Kinda sounds like a gun," she whispered.

Wulger and Hannah crept up on the suspect's hiding place. She ran a quick sequence on her omni-tool to unlock the crate. It quickly locked up again. Two more attempts yielded the same result. Evidently the salarian was countering her efforts with his own omni-tool from inside.

"We'll be at this _all day_," Hannah moaned, queuing up for another try.

The senior officer took charge, pounding the lid of the storage crate. "You might as well come out. We're not going anywhere and it's only a matter of time before whoever owns this crate will want to use it."

A helium-esque voice stuttered "Y-y-you keep that trained human away from me!"

Wulger winked at Hannah. "Relax… I just sent her back to the car…"

"You're lying… she's s-s-still here… I can s-smell the… fur patch on her head!"

"What do you guys have against hair anyway?" muttered the human.

"A-HA! I can hear her!"

Wulger groaned. Hannah huffed and rolled her eyes.

"No, no, no, no, no. I'm staying in here where it's safe!"

"… then you leave us no choice," Wulger huffed. "We're going to contact the precinct and the company who owns this crate. They'll have techs over to cut their way in. They're not going to be happy about ruining a perfectly good crate and that's only going to add to the charges against you!"

"I'll t-take my chances in here," retorted the confined salarian.

Wulger grunted and motioned for his comset when Hannah pointed to the stem bolt in her pocket with a skewed expression. There was a look in her eyes that suggested she had a plan. _Play along,_ she mouthed to her superior as she took it out.

"Shepard," Wugler puzzled. "What do you think you're doing with that?"

Hannah pointed the stem bolt at him and put on a show for the salarian in the crate. "Keeping you from using yours… now toss it over there!"

Hannah waited on Wulger, who stood in place bewildered by her actions. She waved a hand in front of her waist hinting that he look for something to throw. The krogan's countenance suddenly lit with comprehension and he scrutinized the ground, locating a piece of discarded palette. He picked it up and chucked it a short distance away. It landed on the ground with convincing heft.

"You're not going to get away with this," he grumbled, smirking as he did so.

"Beats waitin' here all day for backup! I'm sick n' tired of this 'Humans Go Home' crap! One way or another he's comin' outta there!"

"You humans are all alike; you think you own the galaxy!" Wulger leaned in to Hannah and whispered "Pretend to knock me out so I can sneak up on him."

"Read my mind," she grinned then continued the pretense more loudly. "Watch it, _pal! _Don't think for a second I won't shoot you!"

"You wouldn't dare! Kill me and they'll chase your kind off this planet. Then the turians can finish what they started!"

"I can still take you down… I mean it!" Hannah barked and shuffled the ground hard, Wulger doing likewise.

"No human's getting the best of me-"

Wulger suddenly slapped one of his shoulder pads and plopped down on his knees with an "Ooogf," falling on his side to convince the salarian that he was out cold. While the impish Hannah kept the suspect's attention, tapping the side of the crate with the stem bolt, Wulger moved into position.

"Oh, Mr. Pickpocket," she teased. "It's just you and me now so here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna take my gun…"

She extended the studs.

"… and in a few seconds I'm gonna start shooting a lotta holes in the crate. If you are _still_ inside the crate… what can I say? Some of those holes will be _in_ _you_!" Hannah allowed a moment for her ultimatum to sink in.

"Do we –uh- understand each other?"

A tone sounded. The crate's access light blinked on. The front flew open and the salarian jumped out and up in the direction of the alley gate. Wulger intercepted him by his midsection. Seeing the human again incited the suspect to scramble further into the krogan officer's arms for protection despite being repeatedly pushed off.

"No-no-no! Don't let her kill me!" he begged.

Hannah sported an annoyed look, crooking up her elbow with the stem bolt in hand. "What… with this?"

She closed and opened the studs again demonstrating how their movement sounded very much like a gun cocking.

The salarian's fear turned to outrage. "You… you tricked me! You tricked- let me go… put me _down!"_

Wulger subdued him and clipped binders around his wrists as Hannah went inside the crate and fished out the thief's bag of ill-gotten gains. "That's enough from you - you're coming with us. Shepard?"

Hannah rejoined her partner and the secured prisoner who looked on her with disgust, complaining "Threatening me with a stem bolt? That can't do any harm!"

Hannah pursed her lips. "Not unless you sit on it… I can _make_ you sit on it!"

Wulger shook his head and hand at her disapprovingly then contacted the precinct dispatch to report the pursuit resolved as they took their prisoner back to their vehicle.

1321 HOURS  
>PUBLIC LEWDNESS<p>

Wulger and Hannah were soaring over cross streets and thruways again after booking the thief at the station. Traffic control was reporting significant slowdowns at one thruway. Wulger contacted dispatch, notifying them that he and Hannah were close by and were going in to investigate. He circled closer to the cause of the commotion: a turian was standing on a lane divider ranting and carrying on. Curious and appalled drivers took in the sight, covering up the eyes of the under-aged.

The turian did not have on any clothing.

"I know it's hot today but still," joked Hannah as the aircar touched down on a patch of grass by the road. She unbuckled her seat belt and started to climb out. Wulger had her stay in the vehicle.

"Call for an extra unit and medical detail," he instructed. "I'll go talk to him."

Wulger, a veritable living roadblock, ambled into the lanes as Hannah watched and retuned the comms. The krogan policeman reached the lower platform of the lane divider surrounded by irate motorists and pilots calling for the turian to leave. The subject of their derision did not seem aware of their pleas.

"Flowers! Hide your petals from the light! The Gathering is upon us!"

"Come on down, sir!" Wulger attempted to wave him down from his perch. "Nude sunbathing isn't allowed here!"

The turian addressed him, stretching out a palm as if to confer a blessing. "Gourds! You will not be spared! The Garden will be stripped bare! The Black Hands come!"

Wulger paid no attention to his ravings. "Just step towards me – I'll help yo-"

"The Black Hands…! I saw them - hundreds, thousands of them reaching down from the sky…! Clawing, scraping, grasping… pulling!"

"Assist inbound," reported Hannah over Wulger's comset. "You sure you don't need a hand?"

"He's not armed; I can take him if I have to," he affirmed. The officer calmly closed in on the turian as he continued his strange sermon.

"Our roots do not reach deep enough… our children will go first… they will never have a chance to bloom…"

Another patrol aircar set down nearby. Two turian officers stepped out and began closing off the road with orange holobarriers. Shortly afterwards a medevac arrived on the scene with a hanar, salarian and turian orderly. The salarian remained within the medevac as her associates cautiously approached the demented turian from the opposite direction. Hannah made her way over to support Wulger in spite of his assurances.

"We toil, they plunder… we sow, they reap…"

Wulger was close enough to grab him.

"WE ARE ALL DOOMED!"

The turian orderly stumbled over a pile of the madman's discarded clothing, attracting his attention. Wulger seized the opportunity and pulled him down from the upper portion of the lane divider. The naked turian screamed as he struggled to break free. Hannah ran up and grabbed one of his arms, narrowly avoiding a claw to her face. The hanar drifted in and threaded its tentacles around the madman's other limbs before the turian orderly jabbed an ampule of sedative into his neck. In a minute the struggling reduced to shuddering and sobbing.

The orderly handed over the clothing he tripped on to Hannah before helping his afflicted brethren to the medevac. Wulger heaved a sigh of relief, thumbed his comset and reported that the traffic obstruction was removed. Hannah searched through pockets and found a type of wallet with a thin plastic case of pills. She opened the case and stirred about the two remaining doses inside.

"What have you got there?" said Wulger upon closing his comms.

Hannah's eyes dimmed. "Passports to a bad trip."

Wulger examined the pills. "Doesn't look like the usual paraphernalia," he noted in a hushed tone. "Must be that new product they talked about at the station."

Hannah remembered the confidential brief from her Alliance rep about human drugs circulating through Palturma Beach. The cover story agreed upon by Alliance and Hierarchy officials was that experimental drugs were being distributed by some as-yet-unidentified persons with no regard for public safety. Now there were dextro versions available; those responsible had to be found before more lives were endangered and the story collapsed under the weight of mounting evidence. Hannah used her omni-tool to scan the wallet for an ident chip, hiding the pill case. Their owner's vitals scrolled up as the salarian medic inquired about the incident.

"Suspect identified, officer?"

"Yeah, ah… Hendorin Clovis, botanist," Hannah read from the pulled data. "Visa lists him as visiting family in the city… wow, was a survivor of a science expedition that went missing a few months back. Currently undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress."

"Recovery process not without setbacks," commented the salarian. "May find intoxicants or depressants in system, legal or otherwise. Will ensure complete workup is done, that family and psych care provider are notified."

Hannah transferred over her data to the medic's omni-tool, secretly flagging it for Alliance and Hierarchy personnel to intervene as far as the chem analysis of the drug. The medic thanked her and Wulger for their help before leaving on the medevac. The turian officers reported present conditions to precinct headquarters who then issued orders to remove the roadblock and get the delayed motorists moving again. Hannah and Wulger walked back their aircar, exhaling simultaneously as they settled again in their seats.

"Good a time for lunch as any," said Wulger.

The human turned her head and body to the driver's side to get a better view of her partner stretched into the back seat. "Mannikreck's?"

"A bit out of our way, isn't it? Perhol's Burgat Burrow's much close-" Wulger flashed a toothy krogan grin and pointed. "Ah… Cadrina…"

"Yeah, she should be there about now. You can finally get to meet her in person. Besides, I hear they're makin' some pretty good pizza."

Wulger leaned forward, revved up the aircar's drive core and initiated ascension. "Hmm… guess I can have their Chulma stew. Alright - Mannikreck's it is."

1445 HOURS  
>LUNCH BREAK<p>

Wulger and Hannah landed within the zone designated for drive-through customers. Kale Mannikreck was tasked with bringing them their orders. He gingerly sidestepped tables and children running about, trying to keep Wulger's bowl from spilling on the floor or over Hannah's two pepperoni and sausage pizza slices. Recognizing who had shown up he called over his friend Cadrina to help; she was only too happy to do so. As they walked up to the parked vehicle together he did his best to conceal a smile, aware of the surprise waiting for her.

"What's so funny, Kale? You're the one carrying that big stewpo- Mom!"

She ran up to the aircar with her mother's food and drink. Hannah had climbed out with Wulger to stretch their legs while they waited. The human mother set her tray on top of the aircar as her daughter clamped her arms around her torso. Hannah patted Cadrina's head, draping her other arm over a shoulder. She then turned and introduced the girl to her partner. Wulger walked over and gently took Cadrina's hand, offering a hearty hello. Cadrina's eyes went up and down his height.

"Whoah! Mom said you were big," She looked and gestured to the aircar. "How do you…"

"I manage," he said plainly, used to comments about his size, while cradling his bowl of Chulma stew in one arm as he tipped the young turian. "So what do you think of Palturma Beach, Cadrina?"

"I love it! Water's great, lots of fun places to hang out," Her eyes went to Kale and to Wulger again. "Made new friends, even got a babysitting job for some extra credits."

"Your mother was telling me about that. With the Nocris family… heh-heh, I hear their little one's quite a handful!"

"A handful plus one in a coupla months," added Hannah. "But Cady keeps her outta trouble…" Her chin dipped as she gave her child an informed look that set her mouth askew.

"Usually."

Cadrina promptly switched tacks. "Soooo you guys been busy today?"

"Nothing too hairy." Hannah ran a hand through her hair. "Aside from me. See your father already?"

"Yep; his boat passed ten minutes ago."

"And how's your father, Kale?" Hannah asked of the young turian.

"In the kitchen helping fill orders, Mrs. Shepard." Kale replied. "Business picked up a little lately. I hope you like the pizza. Cadrina said it's your favorite food but that you tend to… beee-"

"I'm sure it's good," was Hannah's encouraging word. "You know how much Maya charges for their cartoons?"

"K'atuns!" corrected Kale and Cadrina simultaneously.

"Whatever. I'm not sure 'bout tryin' that special they have, either. The Quetzalcoatl? Probably the sound you'll make from coughing it up!"

Wulger and the children had a laugh at Hannah's jape at Mannikreck's chief competitor as she proceeded to act it out, hands on her knees and making hacking noises similar to the special's name.

"Enjoy your meal, officers. And thanks for stopping by!" concluded Kale, motioning to his friend.

"See you later, Mom… it was nice meeting you, sir – wow! Sorry… Bye!"

Cadrina hugged her mother and shook the krogan's hand again, still awed by how her entire hand was only the size of his palm. Wulger chortled at her reaction, knowing she really meant no harm. The human girl returned to the restaurant with the turian boy leaving Wulger and Hannah to eat in the back seat.

The krogan officer found the Chulma stew particularly good. Even Hannah's pizza slices were much to her liking. Sipping on their drinks, Hannah prodded her superior officer into delivering on his promise to show her holos of his own children now that he had met her daughter. Wulger's omni-tool flickered on.

"Chips off the old block," complimented Hannah, then amending her comment when she saw that Wulger did not know what she meant. "They look a lot like you… just smaller. Who's who here?"

Wulger proudly introduced his young shown in one holo. "That's Qona, my daughter. And that's my son Brontag."

"Get to see them often?"

"Once a month I set up a real-time session; vidmails the rest of the time."

"They sure look happy."

"I hope they are," Wulger sighed. "I… certainly pay enough…"

"You okay? If you don't wan-"

Wulger switched off the slideshow. "It's all right, Shepard. You told me about how you came to be here, about your mother and her work on the exchange program. It's only fair… have you heard about the genophage?"

Hannah became a bit downcast. "… the virus that nearly sterilized and wiped out your people, right…?"

"To keep the more rowdy of us in check. The Council's answer to the Krogan Rebellions… my children… aren't affected by it…"

Her eyes widened. "Your kids are immune? But that would make your daughter… then your wife was-"

"It's a mystery how we got so lucky… my mate wanted to keep them safe…"

The human mother shifted in her seat, torn between wanting to show sympathy in lifting up her hand to his shoulder and respecting her partner's personal space. The krogan father gently raised his hand a moment to inform her that her sentiment was appreciated but not needed.

"It takes a lot of credits to buy silence, even more for loyalty. I had to give up my kennel. All my prized varren donated to keep the trust of the clan. And that was only a down payment. The rest comes from whatever I send back to Tuchanka and I send back as much as I can. I still have enough to live on… what matters is that my children are safe and well. Hopefully Brontag can complete his Rite of Passage one day, join a strong clan. Become his own man so he can protect himself and his sister."

Hannah had difficulty finding a way to ease out from Wulger's somber confessional. All she could muster was "Wulger…? Why trust me with this? We haven't known each other that long."

The krogan's response was plain and direct. "You remind me of my people. But your mate and your child also bring out the best in you. You're a part of my krantt as much as I'm a part of yours… out here all we outcasts have is each other..."

Hannah's lip tightened to a smile, glad of her superior's confidence in her. It then occurred to her how to lighten the mood and help transition back to duty.

"How 'bout a little music, huh?" she offered, activating her omni-tool.

Wulger pointed to the dashboard. "Shepard, we have to monitor frequencies."

"No problem – it's set to mute if anything comes over the horn…"

Hannah tuned in a channel specializing in Earth music from two centuries past. A song was starting up with a drumbeat accented with synth melodies.

"Oh, this's a good one!" she noted as she raised the volume.

Wulger found himself smiling at the human who began to dance in her seat and sing along with the song that was playing. Equal parts fun-loving, ferocious and tender. A worthy mate if she were a krogan female. The song was contradictory; the lyrics were a warning about an untrustworthy female but its upbeat melody and tone did not help to underscore the seriousness of the subject. The paradox seemed lost on Hannah who only enjoyed its infectious rhythm.

"_No you'll never change her, so leave it, leave it…"_

Needing to put aside his troubles at home, in spite of himself, Wulger started to hum to the music quietly.

"_Get out quick cos seeing is believin'…"_

His foot tapped in time with it, his humming growing louder.

"_It's the only wa-a-a-y… you'll ever knooo-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-_"

Even the krogan's head began tilting to this strange human song. Hannah swayed in her seat snapping her fingers to the music, her head leading the rest of her torso in a wavelike motion from side to side, turning to face her superior officer whenever she sang out.

"_Easy lover; she'll get a hold on you, believe it…! Like no other; before you know it you'll be on your knees!"_

Wulger commenced singing along with Hannah, snapping his fingers and nodding in time. Fortunately there were no alerts to interrupt the rest of the song.

"_Sheee's an eaaaasy lo-ver. She'll take your heart but you won't feel it…sheee's like no other… and I'm just trying to make you seeeeeeeee…!"_

1659 HOURS  
>ANIMAL RESCUE<p>

The aircar coasted to a stop by the sidewalk in front of a one story dwelling and was met by a batarian woman. She was momentarily surprised by Hannah's presence in the vehicle.

"Oh…! I didn't know they allowed humans on patrol now. Thank you for stopping!" She turned to her daughter standing beneath the tree by her house. "Naaleen! The police are here! They'll get Grennel down!"

"Please hurry – he's so scared!" said the child, looking up into the branches.

Hannah leaned against the aircar and crossed her arms, examining the tree. "Family pet stuck up a tree… I think I can handle this one."

A smell about her had Wulger preoccupied. "I really think I should do this. I have more experience with varren, remember?"

"No offense, big guy, but you'd keel over that tree before you even got up halfway. And that pooch's too far away to hear you whisper."

The krogan continued sniffing. "True but… you might give the wrong impression-"

"C'mon! I'm a big girl; I can handle a rowdy Chihuahua from another planet." She went into the aircar's storage compartment and pulled out a blanket, wrapping it around one of her arms. "See? He can take a chew off this if he gets mad. And if he falls you can catch him."

Wulger grudgingly relented. "All right then… be gentle but quick!"

"Copy that!" Hannah winked, clicking her teeth before heading towards the tree. As she neared the trunk she called out to the child.

"Hey-uh, little girl…? Little girl - what's your name again?"

The batarian girl looked over for a second before fixing her eyes on her pet again. "…Naaleen…"

"Hi, Naaleen. I'm Officer Shepard. That's my partner Officer Deveg. I'm gonna try to get him down so I need you to keep talking to him. Keep him distracted so I can grab him. Deveg'll stand next to you to catch him in case he falls. Okay?"

Still looking up, Naaleen nodded her compliance. Hannah waved Wulger over to stand by the girl. He held an arm up to keep the juvenile varren's attention. Naaleen cooed and reassured her pet, holding up its favorite toy and promising it a treat once it was safe on the ground again. With the varren focused on its young master, Hannah climbed the tree as quietly and as quickly as she could.

Getting up the trunk was no problem. Moving out over the branch where the animal was stuck was a trickier proposition. Hannah made her way past other branches jutting out in front as she shimmied closer to the varren. Getting even closer she held her covered arm out in front. The varren, eyes still on Naaleen and Wulger, began sniffing the air. Instead of growing more agitated it seemed to calm down. Hannah's arm came up by its side.

"Easy, there… easy… I gotcha…"

She scooped her hand underneath its chest quickly as Wulger advised. The varren squealed happily and put up no resistance. Encouraged by its reaction Hannah inched forward a bit more and tried to tuck the varren under her arm, misjudging its weight slightly. Finally managing to secure it, she started backwards up the branch with Wulger and Naaleen keeping pace below.

"Hurry it up, Shepard!" the krogan barked, noting the increasing frequency in which the varren was licking at Hannah's face.

"Yeah-yeah, I'm goin'!" Hannah angled her head away the varren's affectionate tongue. "Okay… okay – you're welcome… let's get down from here first then you can thank me all you want…"

The human officer reached the trunk and descended halfway with the varren growing ever more excited. Naaleen ran up to her and stretched out her arms, Wulger at her side. Nearly back on the ground Hannah handed the animal over to its owner. Naaleen had trouble holding it steady. Wulger assessed the situation, hurrying them over to her mother as Hannah stood behind wondering why her partner was in such a rush. The question would get a very clear answer as the varren bounded out of Naaleen's arms and ran straight into Hannah's leg.

"WUL-GERRRRR!"

The horrified batarian mother covered up her daughter's eyes quickly however the child was more surprised than disgusted. "Grennie's never done that before," she observed.

Hannah vainly hopped in place trying to loosen his grip, her protests shifting between shrieking and sobbing. Wulger attempted to separate them then gave up, letting the varren tire itself out. After it released its hold the varren expert carried the limp and sated animal back to the batarian mother and child. After exchanging thanks and apologies for the turn of events Wulger attended his partner, undoing the blanket from her arm and using it to clean off her leg. Hannah all the while standing in silence, mortified.

"Your… pizza, the toppings," Wulger explained "The sausage, maybe the pepperoni… or both… smells almost like varren in heat… he thought you were receptive to him… I told you to be quick about it!"

"… thanks for the hot tip…" she breathed with a trancelike demeanor then snorted.

"Sorry; I couldn't think of any delicate way of putting it in front of the family. Next time we call Animal Control, alright?"

Hannah was recovering. "Yeah, sure."

Wulger rolled up the soiled blanket and trod back to the aircar, tossing the blanket on the floor by his seat. He beckoned his partner to get on board. She slowly turned and came towards him with a pronounced limp.

"Your leg isn't broken, Shepard," Wulger chided.

"I may as well chew it off," Hannah grumbled. "_Violated_ is not even the word."

The bemused krogan took his seat. "You know, in all my years of raising varren I've never seen one take so quickly to someone before. Consider it a compliment!"

Hannah plopped into her seat. "Can we hurry back to the station so I can change out of this uniform, Wulger? Please?"

Wulger fired up the drive core. "Sure… just name your first male pup after me!"

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you? This can be considered abuse of office, you know!"

Wulger could not resist one jape. "… was that what humans mean by 'animal magnetism-?'"

"Wouldya go already?!"

Wulger let out a good-natured laugh and the aircar was on its way back to the station and the end of their shift. Hannah propped her head on the door, hiding her eyes. The absurdity of her experience forced a chuckling moan from her throat. To her relief soon she would have a shower, change into civilian clothes, head home and put it behind her. She made a mental note to order only plain pizza when out on patrol.

Unless the scent of mozzarella was another issue…

END

Author's Thoughts and Notes:

- Self-stealing stembolts are taken from _Star Trek: Deep Space Nine_. The characters in that show aren't sure what they do either.

- Hannah's speech to coax the thief out from his hiding place is from a scene in the movie _Running Scared_ starring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines

- The song Hannah and Wulger sing to is _Easy Lover_ by Phil Collins


End file.
